


The Boy Is Trouble (A Draco Malfoy Love Story)

by dilclipse



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Death Eaters, Drama, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Good Death Eaters, Hogwarts, Hufflepuff, Relationship(s), Romance, Secret Relationship, Slytherin, Smut, Witches, Wizards, voldemort - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:07:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27266935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dilclipse/pseuds/dilclipse
Summary: A new mysterious girl joins Hogwarts in year six, seemingly against the rules. Rumored to be a Death Eater, she installs fear and interest into every student she walks by. Dalia Vanaja. The name on the tip of everyone's tongue. Nobody knew her story and nobody dared to get close enough to ask. Nobody, except Draco Malfoy. The Prince of Slytherin, warned to stay away from her, but desperately seeking her being. Blinded by love and slowly uncovering the truth, his task given to him by the dark lord becomes seemingly impossible. Discover the story of forbidden love, uncovered secrets and unexpected turns.
Relationships: Draco Malfoy/Original Female Character(s), Draco Malfoy/Other(s), Draco Malfoy/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	1. ~ A New Beginning ~

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Credits go to the author, J.K Rowling. The only characters I own are Dalia,her parents and some students I added! Not everything is exactly as it is in the books/ movies, after all I am adding new characters, but for the most part I am following the story line. The students start year six as 17- 18 year olds. Respectively, in the seventh year they are 18-19 year olds. This small change was made due to me being uncomfortable writing about minors. I will also be posting this story in Wattpad under the same username- dilclipse. Enjoy!

|| Dalia's P.O.V. ||

A soft tapping on the window of my small yet cozy attic bedroom woke me up from my light sleep.

"Hoot hoot" I heard the unmistakable sound of my owl Odus, followed by more gentle taps.

My tired eyes opened slowly, my head turning to see what the late night urgency was all for. The pale moonlight made it difficult but I managed to see something white lightly shining in my beautiful barn owl's beak. Slowly I stood up, letting my feet adjust to the cold floor before I got up and cautiously made my way to the window.

"Note to self." I murmured to myself. "Make sure to clean your room before moving to bed next time."

Books were scattered all around my floor, making me trip several times. I was trying to discover the missing herb for one of the healing potions my dad was currently teaching to me and it had proved to be quite difficult. Every single Herbology book my family owned was laying open and had been thoroughly scanned, in a desperate attempt to see where I was going wrong, but to no avail. The fact that my father wasn't willing to help frustrated me even more. I loved learning about potions and making medicine but Herbology was sometimes way too much. All those plants with all those different uses I had to remember in order to create the correct mixture of ingredients frustrated me from time to time. But I knew how important all those things were and was thankful that my father was being harsh since it actually motivated me to excel at the subject.

"Oduuus." I exclaimed in a soft voice, trying to keep quiet so that grumpy old Agnes next door wouldn't complain to my father yet again. My hand slowly moved up, taking the envelope from his mouth before giving the sleek feathers on his head a few gentle strokes. Odus leaned into the touch, making me smile. What a truly stunning bird he was.

"I almost forgot!" I said, a quiet giggle escaping my mouth as I reached towards a small jar, filled with owl treats.

Odus ruffled his feathers, his tail moving from left to right in excitement. He definitely knew what was coming. He took the offered owl treat with a happy purr and flew off into the night. Nothing in this world could stop this big, hunky boy. I shook my head in amusement before finally shifting my attention to the mysterious letter, immediately recognizing the red stamped envelope with the beautiful crest. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, how could I not recognize it. I had gotten the same letter five years ago, inviting me to start my first year in the very same school, however, due to safety worries, my father had to speak to the headmaster and opt for a later enrollment. At the time I couldn't understand why it wasn't safe for me to attend but I was thankful that I was still able to learn and advance in subjects while at home. But why this year? What was different now that allowed me to be a part of the school? With slightly trembling hands I opened the beautiful envelope, feeling even more excitement than the first time I had to do it.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Ms. Vanaja,

We are pleased to inform you for the second time that you are accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary equipment for your sixth year. Term begins on 1 September. Due to your special circumstances, you are kindly invited to arrive at Hogwarts two weeks earlier than regular students.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

Sixth year? Was this a mistake? Never in the existence of Hogwarts was I made aware of a student skipping years and then being accepted into a higher one. True, I was still studying at home with my father, but how could he have known what I needed to know so that I could be prepared? I didn't even know what classes I could qualify for. I had been doing exams given to me by my father, but from what I knew those had no connection to Hogwarts whatsoever. Questions rushed through my mind one after another and I had no answers to any of them. All I knew was that I needed uniforms, gloves, a hat and a cloak. Weird, the first year letter had mentioned more. Did they already know what I had and what I didn't? I let the letter fall onto my bed and rubbed my eyes. It was way too early in the morning for me to be capable of figuring everything out. I laid back in bed, trying to calm myself down and at least get a bit more sleep but it was not happening, no matter how many times I tossed and turned. Soon enough the sun had started shining through my window and I could hear my father starting to prepare breakfast. I had to tell him everything, after all he always knew the answers to all of my questions.

"Daad.." I yelled as I jumped out of bed, hastily grabbing the letter and rushing downstairs.

"Dalia? You are up early? What is going on...." He said, a bit confused. "Have you been staying awake all....oh?" His scolding was cut short when he saw the letter in my hand.

"So the time has come." He said with a smile. He wasn't confused or concerned at all... weird.

"How? How do you know that the time is now? How am I supposed to know what to do? I am accepted into year six, dad. Am I even ready? " The questions came out in one breath, my nerves showing.

"I believe they have a plan for you. Just remember... believe! " My father said with a warm smile.

"You know something that you are not telling me." I protested but was quickly shushed by my father as he pointed at the breakfast table. Porridge and herbal tea as usual.

"Well, plans for today have changed. We are taking a trip to Diagon Alley but don't think that I have forgotten about the homework given to you. Hopefully you have figured out what you are doing wrong with your Antidote to Common Poisons potion." I swallowed a big spoonful of the porridge and looked down. I still had no idea what herb was missing from that potion. Nothing made sense.

"Yes, dad." I said quietly, knowing very well that he was aware of me still being clueless.

Breakfast was quiet for the most part and finished quite quick. I put my dishes in the sink and ran upstairs to get dressed. A white shirt, high-waisted black shorts with a belt and a tight fitting leather jacket to hide a mark on my left hand. I grabbed my wand and ran downstairs where my father was already waiting. Moments later we were at Diagon Alley where it was packed with students and parents as it usually was before the start of the year. I looked around in aw, remembering how it felt to buy my first year supplies from here. Yes, I didn't attend Hogwarts but my father insisted that I had to buy everything. Yes, I still needed to learn but I think he had went completely overboard with the supplies out of guilt that I wouldn't be attending.

"Now where was Madam Malkin's?" My father mumbled to himself quietly. He was quite forgetful at times.

"Omen Vanaja. What a surprise seeing you here." I heard a cold voice say from behind us.

"Lucius Malfoy. It is a pleasure to see you after all this time." My father responded, shaking the tall blonde man's hand. He did not look thrilled by the surprise meeting.

"The pleasure is mine. Dalia, nice seeing you. My, my you have grown into a stunning young lady. You look just like your mother." Mr. Malfoy said, extending his hand to shake mine.

I looked at my father who gave me a barely noticeable nod, his jaw clenching at the remark, and smiled at Mr. Malfoy before shaking his hand.

" Nice seeing you too." I responded in a soft voice.

"What are you here for, may I ask?" Lucius questioned, his voice remaining monotonous.

"Uniforms. Dalia is going to Hogwarts this year." My father replied seriously. His demeanor had suddenly changed.

"What a coincidence. My son Draco and I are also heading there." Mr. Malfoy said, a small smile appearing on his lips as he gently pushed a blonde boy forward with his cane.

I looked at him and bit my lip softly. He was stunning. Tall, with soft platinum blonde hair and phenomenal light blue-grayish eyes. I couldn't take my eyes off of him and yet I knew I had to. He looked up at me, a barely visible smile forming on his lips as he extended his hand.

|| Draco's P.O.V. ||

"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." I said, as I extended my hand towards her. "Pleasure."

"Dalia Vanaja. The pleasure is mine." The gorgeous short girl said with a smile. She looked down in a completely failed attempt to hide her rosy cheeks from my gaze.

By the time we pulled our hands back, our fathers had already started walking ahead of us. I cleared my throat and looked at Dalia again as we started walking. She seemed oddly familiar and yet I had never seen her in Hogwarts before. Maybe she was just starting her first year but how was that possible. She looked my age.

"In which house are you?" I asked, trying to get any information about her.

"Neither... I am getting sorted this year but I have a vague idea of where I could be." The waves of her light chocolate brown hair were graciously bouncing as we walked, making my mind wander.

"Ahhh so you are a first year." I said, my hand running through my hair in an attempt to shake the ungodly thoughts, which were slowly taking over my mind, away.

"Oh no, no. I will be a sixth year student... I just studied at home during the first five. Um... family issues." I heard her say and raised a brow. I had never before known of this being possible. My father definitely had to hear about this.

"Interesting." I mumbled, looking at her soft features again. She was beyond beautiful.

|| Dalia's P.O.V. ||

Thankfully, nothing more was said. I was normally quite confident, however, somehow this boy managed to sweep all that confidence from under me. It was an unknown feeling and it made me uneasy. To top it all off they seemed familiar. I knew I had seen them before somewhere but couldn't quite put a finger on where. Could they have been a part of the Death Eaters? After all, my father seemed to know Mr. Malfoy quite well and the fact that he didn't seem thrilled to meet them made me even more suspicious. The uniforms were picked up after waiting for what seemed like a long while and it was time for us to part ways. Mr. Malfoy said his goodbyes with us. I looked at Draco who had kept staring at me for the entirety of our wait and waved at him. His lips formed yet another barely visible smile before he turned around and started walking after his father.

"Well I am glad this is over." I heard my dad say with a sigh.

"They do seem familiar." I replied.

"Malfoy was a classmate, a fellow Slytherin. You have seen him a couple of times when you were only a child before... the tragedy. He is also a free Death Eater... like us. But he is very different to us." My father said in a very serious voice.

"What makes him different?" I questioned, looking down at my feet in defeat as I got no answer.

" That boy... Draco Malfoy. Be very careful with him. He is trouble." He added, looking at me, his green eyes filled with concern.

"Why?" I questioned but was yet again left disappointed as I got no answer.

I was silent on our way home. I had forgotten a lot of things before the tragedy struck and even after it I was mostly focused on perfecting my abilities. I barely left our home so I wasn't on track with what was happening around us. I rolled my sleeve up and looked at my Dark Mark. It had gotten darker. I had always wondered what had caused that but my father was never willing to give me a proper explanation. Draco Malfoy... who was that boy? Why was I so captivated by him and why did I have to be careful with him. How could he be trouble? What did my father know that I just wasn't aware of? My mind was racing again, my head filled with another set of questions that would remain unanswered. It wasn't the time to overthink, I had to start packing everything I needed for my studies in Hogwarts. Tomorrow was the day I needed to set off.

"Hoo." Odus hooted from my windowsill. I went to him and gently stroked his back.

"Are you ready for our travels?" I asked him, his head tilting to the side as if he was trying to understand what I was saying

"Of course you are. You always are." I added after a while before tossing him another owl treat and starting to pack my long list of necessary items.

My gaze moved down to the still opened books, remembering the Potion I was supposed to produce as homework and that damned missing ingredient. My father had forgotten about it... how typical. With a sigh, I shook my head before continuing my packing.

Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I hope you enjoy this story. I am trying to make a lot of things "true" to the time (not everything is going to be perfect of course) so if you have any corrections feel free to share. Enjoy!


	2. ~ Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry ~

|| Dalia's P.O.V. ||

The night was unusually cold and I couldn't sleep yet again. I couldn't stop thinking about that boy. Malfoy... Draco Malfoy, as he had said in a cocky tone. Why did my father warn me to stay away from him? 'The boy is trouble.' Those words kept echoing in my mind over and over again. Could it be those eyes... those piercing eyes that seemed to look into my soul. With a sigh I buried my head into my warm pillow and closed my eyes, desperately trying to get at least a bit of rest before tomorrow. The more I tried, the more I kept thinking of Draco. My father's warnings had only made me want to get closer to Malfoy.

"Dalia. It is time." I heard my father say after a loud knock on my door.

"Yes father." I groaned as I stretched out.

I slowly sat up and looked through the window. The day was gloomy and you could feel autumn already making its way through. Odus was already waiting by his cage, his big black eyes intensely staring at me.

"Someone is excited.." I giggled as I got up and went to get ready for the day.

My father was waiting for me at the table with a soft smile on his face. I could see some worry in his eyes. Breakfast today was different, crumpets and pumpkin juice. I smiled as I sat down and started eating.

"A few things before you leave.." My father said before clearing his throat.

I looked up at him. His hands held a small box. With trembling hands he handed it over to me. I had never seen him being so emotional since that tragic night seven years ago. I took the box from his hands and opened it, my eyes watering when the contents were revealed.

"You probably remember... your mother's necklace. Her last wish was.." My father cleared his throat, trying to get rid of the shakiness in his voice. "Her last wish was for you to have it as soon as you begin your studies in Hogwarts. It will keep you safe."

"I remember.." I whispered, my trembling fingers slowly taking the small silver necklace with a beautiful amethyst gemstone. "Thank you." I smiled before getting up to hug my father. I hadn't done that in ages.

We stayed silent for a while, just embracing each other and trying not to break down.

"It is time to go. Hagrid will be waiting for us in Hogsmeade. He is a lovely guy." My father said, his hand moving to gently ruffle my wavy light chocolate brown hair. "I am bit sad that you won't be able to experience the Hogwarts Express... but there is always Christmas break and next year."

"Yes, of course." I said, wiping the tears off of my eyes and running back upstairs to finish packing up and put Odus in his cage.

I looked into my dusty mirror one last time, remembering about the present from my father. I had to put it on before leaving, after all it was my mother's last wish. I smiled at the thought of my mother, hoping that she was proud of me at this moment. The clicking of the small box caught Odus' attention as I opened it.

"This is not for you, buddy." I said and smiled at him before slowly putting the choker necklace on me. It fit perfectly.

My hand moved over it, adjusting it on my neck slowly. Once I was fully satisfied with the look, I turned around to look at my room one last time. With a sad smile, I put my backpack on and took Odus' cage. My father came in to pick up my two heavy suitcases and we set off. We were completely silent on our way to Hogsmeade, which I was thankful about. Ever since the tragic night I was practically glued to my father, with the only other person I had allowed myself to spend time with being my ex lover. Leaving for Hogwarts was extremely exciting but at the same time my heart felt like it was slowly breaking. I felt scared being without him and I felt even more scared leaving him alone.

"We are here." My father interrupted my thoughts, making me jump slightly.

"Omen, good to see ya' my boy!" I heard a welcoming voice

"Hagrid! Long time no see!" My father responded, a bright smile coming to his face.

"This must be Dalia. Looks just like 'er mother." Hagrid said, extending his hand and giving me a pat on my back.

I smiled and looked up at him. He was huge and still not intimidating at all.

"Second time I have heard this recently." I chucked a bit, a blush sneaking onto my face.

"She has my personality though." My father joked, making Hagrid laugh.

"We better be careful then." Hagrid said through fits of laughter.

"Are ya' ready, Dalia?" He asked me seriously all of a sudden.

I nodded and turned around to face my father, embracing him tightly. I felt him smile into the hug in a desperate attempt to hide the tears which were coming up to his eyes.

"Good luck. You know what I always tell you...believe! Believe in yourself, in your abilities and believe that you are exactly where you are supposed to be." He said in a soft yet stern voice, his hands moving to grab my shoulders.

"And remember what I told you about the Malfoy boy. He. Is. Trouble." He lowered his voice.

I nodded and gave him one last hug before turning around to Hagrid who was already waiting with my suitcases in his hands. With one final wave to my dad we were off, walking to the mysterious Hogwarts.

"Excited?" Hagrid asked.

"Excited but a bit scared." I replied, my fingers nervously playing with my jacket.

"Nothing to be scared of." Hagrid assured me.

"I guess so. I just fear that I am behind." I mumbled as the sight of the beautiful castle in front of me.

~~~

"Wow." I gasped once the beautiful building revealed itself in front of us, making Hagrid laugh.

"I often get that reaction. Now let's get ya' to Dumbledore and McGonagall. They sure are excited to finally meet ya'." Hagrid said with a smile.

I was so confused by all the corridors and stairs that I had no idea when and how we got to the headmaster's office. It was as if I had blinked and I was already there. It surely would take me a lot of time to remember everything.

"Dalia Vanaja. We have been expecting you." Dumbledore said as soon as we entered his office.

"Pleasure." I said politely.

"We assume you have a lot of questions, thus, your early arrival. We are here to guide you." Dumbledore slowly got up from his chair, shaking my hand with care.

"Thank you." I responded, sitting down on the chair in front of the headmaster's grand desk after he motioned towards it with a graceful move.

"Regarding education. You are most likely aware that your fellow classmates will be starting their N.E.W.T.- level classes this year. Those are based on your Ordinary Wizarding Level exams, normally taken in the fifth year...Minerva McGonagall, pleasure to meet you." A tall, black haired woman said in a stern voice.

"The pleasure is mine." I replied, nodding my head gently to show appreciation.

"The school has been monitoring you since you were a young student, Ms. Vanaja. You have excelled at certain subjects exceptionally fast which has influenced our decision to make a deviation. We can offer you a selection of N.E.W.T.- level classes that, we believe, you will be successful in. The classes are as follows. Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Herbology and Charms. You have the opportunity to partake in Apparition classes, which comes at a cost of twelve Galleons. You may decide to take all five classes, you may decide to take two." Professor McGonagall explained, her face serious as usual.

"Some professors have requested for you to undertake a quick test if it so happens that you choose their classes. Those classes would be as follows." Professor McGonagall paused to flip the parchment paper in her slightly shaky hands.

"Defence Against the Dark Arts with Professor Severus Snape and Transfiguration with me. We will be expecting your decision by tomorrow morning as we will need the next weeks to provide you with more essential information, conduct the examination if needed and give you an intensive flying course since your father mentioned that you could need some extra lessons in that subject. Your sorting ceremony will proceed as normal, right before the new first years. For the next two weeks you have been assigned a sleeping space in the Room of Requirement which we will explain how to use after the current meeting." She finished, clearing her throat after her long talk.

"I understand." I said softly and got up.

"Welcome to Hogwarts!." I heard Dumbledore say, my smile going wider.

With one final handshake, I was escorted out of the room and given a quick, well as quick as it could be, tour of the school by Hagrid. I was shown where to find and how to open the Room of Requirement and I was told the breakfast, lunch and dinner times in the Great Hall. Afterwards I was just left alone in the middle of a massive school, filled only with the people working there. Not knowing what to really do, I made my way to the Astronomy Tower and sat down. Maybe it would be best If I started thinking about my N.E.W.T.- level class choices. Potions immediately took top spot on my list. I was confident in my abilities and knew that it would be something that I was willing to pursue as a future career. With a sigh, I put my bag down and pulled out my quill and a piece of parchment paper. I suspected that taking all five classes was practically a death sentence and my overachiever personality definitely didn't allow me to take only two. I scribbled the number one and Potions next to it before looking up. Shortly afterwards I scribbled Defense Against the Dark Arts at number two. This was definitely something I was passionate about after the "accident" and I was adamant to learn everything either from my father or from my own research and practice. Do I do three classes or four? Herbology was definitely out of the question. I loved Potions and I really enjoyed learning about the plants and fungi as ingredients but I definitely didn't want to get more into the study of those.

"Should I do three classes or four?" I mumbled to myself, repeating the question out loud as if that was going to give me a clear answer.

This was my biggest question. I loved Charms but I loved Transfiguration just as much so the decision was difficult. I had no certain plans for my future and quite frankly I had never thought about what jobs I wanted to look into after I finished school. I was dedicated to prove myself, well mainly to myself. I had always been looked at with disgust and a big part of that was due to my "Death Eater" status. Then again, nobody had even bothered to understand that I didn't follow the beliefs of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and I wasn't even accepted by his followers since I was a half-blooded disgrace to them. I subconsciously pulled my left shirt sleeve even lower and let out a loud sigh. I scribbled both Charms and Transfiguration on the list. Maybe I was digging my own grave with this, maybe the rumor that the N.E.W.T.- level classes were hell was true. There was only one way I could know. I tucked the parchment paper back into my backpack and got up, moving back to the Room of Requirement, which had conveniently transformed into my bedroom at home. Soon it was time for dinner. I decided to go and get something to eat, after all I was told that the way of serving was amazing and the food was beyond delicious. I smiled in aw as I went into the Great Hall once again. There were Hogwarts staff already eating. I sat down at one of the tables and food appeared onto my two empty plates while a delicious looking drink filled my cup.

"Wow." I mouthed softly.

I looked at the shepherd's pie, piece of treacle tart and what looked like butterbeer. It smelled amazing. The chatter of the staff seemed far away from me as I dove into the delicious meal. Surprisingly I felt quite hungry all of a sudden.

"I see you have chosen Slytherin table." A low voice came from behind me. I turned around and saw a tall man, wearing all black. His hair was shoulder-length, perfectly matching colours with his robe.

"I.. I didn't know this was..." I stuttered, being completely caught off guard by his cold tone.

"It is said that your father was a great Slytherin. I would be a delight to see your potential... flourish in our house." He said in a monotonous voice, making my body stiffen a bit.

"I haven't really thought... of what house I would like to be in." I said, a lump forming in my throat. The man was intimidating.

"Severus Snape. Professor Severus Snape. Head of the Slytherin House.We shall see what the sorting hat thinks." He said as he turned away and swiftly left.

My hand went to my chest as I exhaled loudly. His icy tone really made my feet cold with fear.

"Snape..." I whispered to myself, trying to remember why that name sounded familiar. "Oh fuck....The Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." My year would be fun.

I finished dinner and went to bed. The next morning I woke up very early, which was luckily very good as I almost missed breakfast. I was sitting outside, admiring the nice weather when I heard Professor McGonagall's voice calling my name. Immediately I stood up, my eyes searching for her.

"Dumbledore is expecting us." She said when she reached me. I nodded and followed her to his office quietly.

"Greetings, Dalia." He said with a soft smile when he saw me enter.

I was once again sitting in the same chair, feeling uneasy as I had to state the classes I had chosen.

"Um.." I cleared my throat. "I chose four classes. Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration and Charms." I said softly, noticing both of them displaying a bit of shock in their faces.

"Very well." Dumbledore said, giving me a piece of parchment paper with the times and dates of the quick tests.

I spent the next few days preparing for every possible thing I could be tested on. The Transfiguration test went extremely well. I had to perform a spell, studied in each of the years until now. The spells given to me by the professor were the Avifors Spell, the Rabbit Slippers spell, the Felifors Spell, the Vanishing Spell and lastly, the Inanimatus Conjurus Spell. I was also asked to answer some quite tricky questions which I think I did well on. I would only know if I had passed when getting my timetable. After my experience with Transfiguration I had prepared extra hard for the Defense Against the Dark Arts spell. My encounter with Professor Snape made me suspect that he would give me something extremely hard, just to test my abilities. The flying lessons, which were going well but were tiring and time consuming, didn't really give me a lot of time to study and, in turn, made me even more nervous.The day was finally here and I was anxiously waiting in the assigned dark room. The door opened harshly, a dark figure entering and standing behind his desk.

"My test is very simple." Professor Snape said in his usual tone of voice.

"I have been made aware of the fact that you can produce a corporeal Patronus. I would like to see you produce this famously difficult defense charm." His voice trailed off.

I nodded and took out my cedar wood, unicorn hair core wand and took a deep breath. I was able to produce the Patronus when I was only fourteen years of age, during an extremely difficult time in my life. I closed my eyes, my mind drifting to a memory of me and my mother camping, a muggle activity that we enjoyed a lot. We were sitting by a lake, eating her famous herbal pie and talking about the Alihotsy Draught potion. Her hands were gently braiding my long, at the time, hair. My hand began making small circles with the wand.

"Expecto Patronum!" I said in a firm voice as a tear slowly rolled down my cheek.

Light blue light came out of my wand, soon taking the form of a sparrow. I opened my eyes as I observed it fly around me before making a circle around the small room and disappearing through the classroom door.

"Very well. Dismissed." I heard Professor Snape say, showing no sign of emotion.

I left the room, feeling a bit shaken. I had no idea if he was impressed, I had no idea if this was good enough to be accepted in his class and what killed me the most is that I had to wait and see.

The rest of the week went by extremely fast, mainly because I was concentrating on improving my flying. It had gone by so fast, in fact, that tomorrow was the start of term. This meant that it was finally the time to meet my classmates, to begin my studies and most importantly- to get sorted into my house.

I was a ball of nerves but at the same time I was extremely excited for what was about to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This was a chapter that I kind of rushed through as it was more of a formality. It is definitely needed for the story but it was getting a bit too long.


	3. ~ Odd One Out ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: In this story, every student has a very small dorm room. I have also chosen to portray the uniforms with the house colours, not like in the books and I have improvised with them a bit. I have switched the places of the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables and the students in the classes may or may not be following the actual storyline.

It was the night of the sorting ceremony. I was more than excited to belong to a house and finally have a special little dorm room I could decorate and make mine. A shiver ran through my body as I waited in my white formal shirt, black tie and beautiful long cloak. Was this because of the cold breeze, which could always be felt in the Hogwarts hallways, or due to the fact that the first years were looking at me, clearly confused? I couldn't be certain. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat, gathering our attention.

"You will soon enter the Great Hall where all other students are awaiting you. I kindly ask you to follow me to the front, where each and every one of you will be sorted into one of the four hoses: Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. Your house is like your second family, so treat it as such. Points can be taken or added to your house depending on your behaviour. Whichever house has the most points by the end of the year, will be the winner of the House Cup." She looked at all of us sternly.

"Good luck. We may now proceed with the ceremony." She said after her rather long pause before opening the massive Great Hall doors.

For the first time in my life I felt the thrill of being a real student. The Great Hall was filled with students, looking even more grand than before. I looked around nervously, feeling like all eyes were on me. After all, I stuck above all the first year students. Surely I looked weird, like I didn't belong. We slowly made our way to the front, stopping and looking at the staff. I could hear whispers coming from somewhere behind me. The chime of a cup made everyone quiet as Professor Dumbledore stood up and cleared his throat.

"Before we proceed, I have a very brief announcement. Dalia Vanaja, please step forward." He requested.

I slowly made a few steps forward, turning around to face the other students, my vision a bit blurred.

"This is a special new student. For the first time, Hogwarts has decided to accept her into her sixth year of studies after following her home studies closely. Whichever house she is sorted into, I would like to request for you to be kind and understanding towards her." He finished and sat back down. Whispers could be heard again.

I was confused as to why he requested for the students to be kind. Was he expecting the opposite?

"Ms. Vanaja, please take a seat. You will be sorted prior to the first years." Professor McGonagall stated, motioning towards the chair.

I sat down and looked ahead of me. The hat felt weird and heavy on my head, unlike anything I had felt before. It was silent for a while.

"Interesting." Its voice rang through the silent room. "A Slytherin father, a Hufflepuff mother. I see ambition but also loyalty. I see a future leader but I also see an honest person." It went silent again.

My hands moved to nervously fiddle with my cape as we waited.

"Determined to succeed but also very patient. Slytherin would be a perfect match for you... but so would Hufflepuff." The hat said. Another long pause followed. " HUFFLEPUFF." It finally yelled out.

The room filled with cheers as I slowly stood up and made my way to the Hufflepuff table. While looking around I spotted him watching me intently. Those eyes, I could never miss them. He followed me to my spot, a hint of disappointment showing in his eyes. My eyes never moved away from his.

"Congratulations." A girl sitting next to me said. I could hear fear in her voice and it was obvious that she was saying it just to be polite. Weird.

"Thank you." I responded in a cheery voice, smiling softly at her. Nothing else was said, I didn't even learn her name.

I sat awkwardly as everyone seemed to just whisper around me. The Hufflepuffs were trying to be polite and welcoming towards me but I could sense that something was wrong. The first years were sorted into their houses and the feast could begin.

"Wow..." I whispered when food magically appeared on the trays in front of us. Everyone began eating and chattering.

"Dalia. Are you a pure-blood?" A blonde boy said to me, finally breaking the invisible barrier that had seemed to appear between me and the other Hufflepuffs.

"N-no. My father is a pure-blood. My mother was a muggle-born." I said, feeling a bit uncomfortable as the people around me's eyes moved to me yet again.

"A half-blood. Why was the hat so conflicted between Slytherin and Hufflepuff?" A blonde girl asked.

"I.. Why? I thought half-bloods could go into Slytherin." I asked, confused by the entire situation.

"Oh, they can. But pure-bloods are favored." The girl replied. "Hannah Abbot." She stated, extending her hand to shake mine.

"Dalia." I smiled as our hands connected. The pressure was slowly lifting up.

"I am Ernest Macmillan and this is Susan." The blonde boy said, a small smile coming to his face.

"Susan Bones." The red haired girl said.

"Nice to meet you all." I replied.

I felt a pair of eyes on me again and looked towards the one I assumed was staring at me. Draco's eyes were glued to mine yet again. Why did he keep doing that? Our eyes broke contact when a girl sitting next to him rested on his shoulder. He shifted away from her.

"Can you believe she is a half-blood and the hat really considered putting her in Slytherin? Ew." Her voice rang.

A couple of other girls from that table laughed at her comment. Draco was silent.

|| Draco's P.O.V. ||

A half-blood. This just didn't make sense. Mt father had warned me to stay away from her, he had said that her family was a disgrace and refused to say anythinhg esle afterwards. But why was her family so bad after all? My father was still quite friendly with her father at Diagon Alley. Why would he be friendly with a person who had "muddied the bloodline"? I rolled my eyes at those words.Rumors had already started spreading between the students that she came from a family related to the Death-Eaters. I knew that this was true. My father had told me that Omen was one, or had been one as he was now not respected. What baffled me were the rumors about her being a death-eater. Could those be true? I bit my lip, my hand moving to tightly grab my left forearm as I remembered about my mission.

"Draco... You are not even listening to me." Pansy groaned.

I looked at Pansy before standing up and leaving for my dorm. I wasn't listening to her, I didn't want to hear her annoying voice ringing in my ears. I had to figure out what was going on with this girl Dalia. Why was she so open to answering questions and yet so mysterious? And why the damn hell was I so attracted to her to the point where I didn't even care that she didn't come from a pure-blooded family? This was unlike me.

|| Dalia's P.O.V. ||

My eyes followed Draco as he left the Great Hall.

"Oh don't bother with him." Hannah said after noticing me following Draco's movements.

"He keeps staring at me." I mumbled. "I don't know what is going on with him."

"He is probably trying to prepare his insults towards you. That.... spoiled asshole is no good." She huffed.

Wow.. A Hufflepuff cursing another person out like that was unimaginable. Was Draco really that foul?

"Dalia. What classes are you taking?" Ernest asked curiously.

"I don't know yet. I had to take extra tests for DADA and Transfiguration and I will only know when I get my timetable. But I am for sure doing Potions and Charms." I replied with a smile.

"You are taking FOUR N.E.W.T.- level classes?" Ernest exclaimed in shock. I could hear gasps around me.

"They gave me five subjects that I could choose from based on what they had seen from me in the past five years. I have heard that taking all five is a death sentence, so I dropped Herbology. But I couldn't decide between Charms and Transfiguration." Everyone was silent. "But um... I am not sure how I did on the extra examinations. So it is unsure if I am doing all four." I added nervously.

"You must be a strong witch." Susan said, her voice a bit shaky. Why was that girl so scared of me?

"Thank you but I really don't think I am that strong." I chuckled.

Dinner was finished and we had some free time before curfew. I was shown how to get into the Hufflepuff common room. Immediately I fell in love with how cozy and home like it was. Hannah showed me my way around to the Girls' Dormitory and I was finally able to settle into my tiny dorm room. By the time I was ready with unpacking everything it was late, way too late. I was extremely exhausted, mainly from all the emotions I had gone through today so I just slipped on my comfy pajamas and snuggled into bed, falling asleep immediately.

The next morning I woke up a very loud bell. It was 7am. I groaned and turned around, noticing something on the chair I was sure I had left empty last night. I quickly got up and went to get ready in the Girls' Dormitory bathroom. When I came back I noticed an envelope, which had somehow appeared on my bed while I was away. My class schedule.

Monday:

Morning: Defence Against the Dark Arts

Afternoon: Potions

Tuesday:

Morning: Charms

Afternoon: Potions

Friday:

Morning: Transfiguration

I was expecting a lot more classes but based on the other Hufflepuffs' reactions for me taking four classes, I assumed that this was more than enough to drive me crazy. My attention shifted to the chair. A uniform had now appeared onto it. I had two skirts, two pairs of pants, three cardigans, three long sleeved white shirts, three short sleeved ones, a tie, a scarf and a couple of yellow and black T-Shirts. I put on the pants, which were quite tight fitting on me. It wasn't a bad thing but I wasn't really that keen on showing my body too much, not yet at least. I tucked in the short sleeved white shirt and put on the yellow and black tie before looking into the mirror. Shit... my dark mark. I quickly put on one of the black cardigans with yellow detailing and sighed as I adjusted it onto my fairly big chest. A spray of cinnamon perfume and I was ready, or so I thought. A knock on my door startled me. I quickly went to open it, seeing Hannah standing there, completely ready.

"Don't forget your robe!" She exclaimed when she saw me.

"Oh shit." I whispered, opening my wardrobe, only to discover that the fully black robes my father bought had transformed into Hufflepuff ones.

I took one from the hanger and slipped it on, admiring the look of the yellow lining and the beautiful crest on the left side.

"Let's go eat. What do you have as a first lesson?" Hannah asked me.

"I have DADA." I said, looking at my schedule once again.

"Wow you actually got all four classes. Good luck. People are saying that they will be difficult this year." Hannah said, a sour expression coming to her face.

The doors to the Great Hall were open. We entered and went towards our table. And there he was, staring at me once again. Draco Malfoy... This guy had no shame. We stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like ages before I turned around to look at the breakfast in front of me. Why was he so interested in me? Hannah ate quickly, mumbling a quick excuse as she ran off. Great.. I was basically alone. And even worse, I had only just noticed that the DADA room on my schedule was completely different to the one I had my short test in. I was completely lost as to where I needed to go. Breakfast was quick for me as I needed to have time to find the room. I got up and looked at the schedule again when I felt someone's breath on my neck.

"DADA...Follow me." The familiar voice of Draco almost whispered in my ear.

I felt a shiver run through my body. The smirk on his face was obvious when he walked past me. So he was observing my body language now too? I started following him through the hallways, ignoring the stares I got from other students. Whispers about my past had already started spreading like wildfire through campus it seems. I could hear the term "Death-Eater" being thrown around as I walked for what seemed like ages. Finally, Draco stopped in front of a room. He looked at me once again before opening the door and going in. I followed him, nodding my head as if to say 'thank you' to him. There were a couple of empty spaces left, but I decided to sit closer to the front which happened to be next to a Gryffindor student. I quietly made my way to the chair and sat down. People were chattering, using the last few free minutes before class started.

"Ron Weasely." The boy next to me said with a grin.

"Dalia Vanaja. Nice to meet you." I said softly.

The door slammed open, the familiar dark figure entering again.

"Dementors." Snape said in his usual voice.

Everyone fell silent, students taking notes of everything he said.

"Spells effective against Dementors?" Professor Snape asked. A few students raised their hands.

"The Patronus charm." A girl from Slytherin answered.

"Very well." Snape said, scanning around the room with his eyes.

"Is there anyone in this room that can produce a Patronus, corporeal or incorporeal?" His monotonous voice questioned again.

The room was quiet for a bit until a Gryffindor boy with round glasses lifted his hand up. My hand trembled as I debated on whether to lift it up or just remain silent. Professor Snape knew that I could do it, there was no need to brag.

"The great Potter showing off yet again." I heard Draco say in a mocking voice, earning giggles from his two sidekicks and a glare from Ron, the boy and a girl.

"The Golden Trio... more like Trash" Draco spat the name out mockingly. I looked at him.

"Mr. Malfoy." Professor Snape scolded.

"I am sorry, Professor." The blonde boy replied before rolling his eyes at the Gryffindors. Why did he have such beef with those three?

"Ms. Vanaja." Snape turned to me.

"Yes, Professor?" I questioned.

"Your Patronus, please." He said, a challenging look in his eyes.

"Yes." I said as I got up from my seat, ignoring the gasps coming from behind me.

With a swift movement I pulled my wand out, closing my eyes. That same memory filled my head again, my lips forming a soft smile as a tear rolled down my cheek.

"Expecto Patronum." I said firmly, my wand creating small circles.

The familiar light blue light came out, going up into the air, taking the form of a sparrow. It circled around the room and flew out through the wall. The class was completely silent. I took a quick look at Draco, honestly expecting him to make a remark. After all, he was rude to the other boy that knew how to produce one. He was quietly staring at me, his ice cold eyes showing no emotion.

"Very well." Professor Snape said, turning around to take a piece of parchment paper.

After some more explanation regarding the Patronus he cleared his throat.

"I will be giving you a research project. You will be separated into pairs and for the rest of the year's projects you will be working in the same pairs." Groans could be heard from the room.

Professor Snape scanned the room, immediately quieting the protesting.

"Potter and Boot, Granger and Weasley, Parkinson and Zabini.." He began listing the names.

I looked down at my quill and ran my finger over it, fixing the feathers.

"Lastly, Vanaja and Malfoy." Professor Snape said, taking it out of my trance.

I looked up at him, noticing that students had started to move next to their partner. A quick glance towards Draco made me realize that he was not planning to move from his seat. I quickly picked up my stuff and sat next to him. Professor Snape began explaining the project in detail and I quickly started writing notes. My body froze for a second when I felt Draco's hand rest on my thigh. I looked at him quickly before continuing to write notes down, trying to act as cold and as unbothered as possible.

"It's a shame that you are not wearing a skirt." Draco slowly leaned closer to me and whispered. What a bold move.

"Draco Malfoy." Snape said in a louder than normal voice. "Final warning before I deduct points from Slytherin." He warned. Everyone knew that this was a lie.

Draco nodded apologetically and focused his gaze onto my notes, trying hard to simulate activity. His hand remained firmly grasping my thigh. I did my best to ignore it until the end of class. Well, at least this was better than him just staring at me.The bell rang and we were dismissed. Immediately Draco's hand moved away as he started packing his things.

"So.. When are we meeting up for that bullshit paper?" Draco said, raising an eyebrow.

"Whenever you say." I said with a shrug.

"Well I will be telling you in Potions, Vanaja." He said coldly.

"Stop talking to that half-blooded cow, Draco. She is beneath you." Pansy said, glaring at me.

I stood up silently, not at all bothered by her attempts to portray an alpha female. If anything, she looked pathetic.

"Don't test me." I said in an extremely calm voice. I was dangerously close to her. "You will end up regretting it." I whispered coldly.

The class went silent, watching Pansy back away, a fearful expression on her face. I looked around, noticing Draco's light smirk. I had made my point, it was time to leave. Lunch break went by quicker than I wanted. I had skipped lunch and found a little private spot where I could finally take a breather away from everyone. How could the rumors already start on my first day? I had finally understood why my father didn't let me start school from my first year, it would've crushed me. The bell rang, it was time for Potions. By the time I found the room, the class had already filled up with students. My eyes scanned for free seats, noticing only one left. Damn it... it was next to him again. With a sigh I quietly sat down next to the blonde boy, taking out my quill and parchment paper.

"Exciting. I like myself a bad girl." Draco said quietly before licking his lips.

I looked at him and raised a brow.

"You barely know me." I mumbled, trying to act as indifferent as possible.

The boy did catch my eye but I was wary of him. After all, my father had warned me and even though I didn't really listen to him that much when it came to my friends or love interests, I did trust him on this .

"For the project...tonight after dinner. Astronomy tower." Draco said.

"Okay." I said softly, putting a loose wavy strand of hair behind my ear.

Potions was quite interesting. Malfoy was being a disruption yet again, trying to rile up some students in the class. I rolled my eyes at the constant distractions and gently kicked his foot to grab his attention.

"For the love of Merlin, Malfoy. Stop distracting." I whispered coldly.

"I am distracting you now, am I?" He replied quietly with a smirk.

"Listen." I leaned closer to him as I whispered, my hand moving on his leg this time. It was his turn to freeze up.

"Don't play games with me... I can play them better." I purred in his ear before pulling back.

From what I had gathered so far, Draco was the school bully and the dream of a lot of girls. But he was wrong if he thought that I would be his next prize. I had always done what I wanted to do at my own terms. I removed my robe and put it on the backrest of my chair neatly before waving my hand in front of my face. The fact that the room was hot gave me a big advantage in my plan to at least make Draco shut up until the end of class. I loosened and removed my tie, sticking it in my backpack quickly. After a few minutes of silence and diligent note taking, I decided that it was time to unbutton my cardigan and the top three buttons of my shirt. Was that even allowed? I didn't know but I was sure that I wouldn't be caught. Draco's eyes were glued to me as predicted. It felt good in a way, knowing that I could get someone so distracted but at the same time I still had my reservations. Class ended. I put my robe back on and took my backpack.

"See you later." I said softly to the Slytherin prince before leaving the classroom.

I had won this round.


	4. ~Starry Eyed ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: light smut in the form of touching, making out

What the hell had I just done? Why did I feel more satisfaction from ten minutes of watching Malfoy get hot and bothered over me teasing him, than I had felt during my two year serious relationship? Why was I so eager to get close to him despite my father's stern warning. And why the hell was Malfoy interested in me when I was half-blood? I smiled to myself as I went back to my dorm to change into something more comfortable. Biker shorts, a long boyfriend shirt and my favourite black Adidas shoes. Muggle clothing, something I enjoyed immensely. I looked at my notes from the day and sighed, having absolutely no idea what to do for Snape's research project on Dementors and the Patronus. Maybe I could go through the story of how I was able to produce my Patronus, after all we needed to share our own opinion on the subject. I scribbled the idea on a separate piece of parchment paper before slumping in bed. The day was quite tiring and Draco's snarky remarks towards other students surely didn't make it easy for me to concentrate in the classes. I set my alarm clock to wake me up at dinner time, fiddling with the small dial in the back for quite a while. Finally I could let my eyes rest. I felt my body relaxing as I slowly fell asleep. Maybe sneaking in a little nap wasn't such a bad idea.

The sound of the alarm clock woke me up. With a groan I extended my hand, trying to smack the top of it to turn it off.

"Little shit." I groaned again as I sat up and finally managed to shush the annoying ringing.

With a big stretch I moved in front of my mirror to fix my hair up a bit and freshen myself. I had to look presentable in front of the others. My messy hair didn't want to behave so I tied it into two messy space buns and with a quick spray of perfume I was out of my room, my backpack and jacket dangling off of one of my shoulders. The Great Hall was absolutely packed with students, the chattering eating up every other sound.I put on my jacket to hide my dark mark right before I entered. I sat down in the same spot I had chosen yesterday and started putting food onto my plate.

"Everyone is talking about your little...exchange with Pansy." Hannah said with a giggle.

"News spread like wildfire here." I replied calmly, not really bothered by anything related to this girl.

"Nobody can believe that a kind Hufflepuff stood up to a Slytherin, let alone her." Susan said in a hushed voice.

"I am kind to people who deserve it." I shrugged, not really wanting to talk about it. Truth be told, I had forgotten about the exchange before they brought it up.

"You definitely have a Slytherin under that Hufflepuff crust." Hannah said with another giggle.

"And Pansy is definitely a little insecure girl under her alpha female facade." I said with another shrug, making the two girls on either side of me giggle again.

"She is the Slytherin Princess..." Hannah started saying but lowered her voice. "She is obsessed with Draco.. completely obsessed. She can't stand it when other girls get his attention... well unless he is insulting them." The last words were said as a whisper.

"They are known as the Prince and Princess of Slytherin. Everyone expects them to end up together." Hannah definitely liked her gossip.

"I don't know about that... he seemed pretty infatuated with me in class today." I said, making Hannah gasp.

"But he dislikes half-bloods." She said in a hushed voice yet again. "Be careful with him."

A slight cough interrupted our conversation. I looked up and saw Draco, his hand slowly running through his platinum blonde hair. He was looking down at me questioningly.

"Talking about me now, are we?" He said, a smirk coming to his face."My my, Vanaja. You can't get enough of me, can you!" A dark chuckle escaped his mouth.

"Doesn't you, listening in on this clearly private conversation, make you the one who can't get enough of me? Is someone interested?" I said calmly, making him bite his lip.

Hannah's mouth was wide open. She couldn't believe what was happening right in front of her eyes.

"Anyway... enough stupid games." Draco changed the topic, his hand running through his hair once again."We should get going... We need enough time to at least plan that paper before curfew." He said.

"Aren't you a bad boy? Is being out past curfew such a big deal for you?" I challenged him as I got up.

"Pfff... I am still technically a prefect so..." He replied as he waved his hand and turned around. What a show off.

"Wow, mister perfect." I said sarcastically and waved bye at Hannah before following.

This was surely going to be an interesting project. I mean what could go wrong, Draco sure had a massive personality and he was definitely smart from what I had gathered. The chilly air hit my body as we finally got up there, sending a shiver down my spine. There were a couple of students who immediately left at the sight of us.

"Are they scared of you or me?" I chuckled at their fearful expressions.

"Why would they be scared of a girl like you?" Draco smirked. "You are a Hufflepuff. You can't hurt a fucking fly." He laughed quite bitterly.

"Are you trying to test me? Because I don't think that your mother will enjoy you being delivered in tiny pieces to your home." I said calmly as I sat down, a smile making its way on my face.

Draco glared at me before smirking again.

"You won't do that. You can't sacrifice your perfect score." He sat down next to me.

He was close... way too close.

"True, true. You are way too useful at the moment. Maybe later when I have no use for you, I will get rid of you." I said, my hand moving to rest on his knee.

He looked at it, his smirk getting bigger.

"Are you trying to get close to me, Vanaja?" Draco questioned.

The tension between us was through the roof.

"Let's start. You got any ideas?" I quickly changed the topic, my father's advice ringing alarm bells in my head all of a sudden.

"No... not really." Draco mumbled. I could hear a hint of disappointment barely showing through his stone cold demeanor.

"I have only one idea which is..." I trailed as I opened my bag to pull out the parchment paper. "I can talk about my story. How I produced a Patronus." I looked at Draco to see what he was thinking.

"Can I get one?" He asked curiously.

"Do you have a pure heart?" I asked and raised a brow.

"Only for the right people." Draco whispered.

"I can always try to help you with it... but I can't guarantee anything." I said.

A gust of wind blew and I closed my eyes as I took a deep breath in. Winter was coming and I loved it.

"You know. I wondered why you weren't sorted into Slytherin. You really don't act like a Hufflepuff would." Draco said, his hand moving to his chin.

"I have no idea." I shrugged, not really wanting to go deeper into that topic. "But I have my theories."

We fell silent for a long while. I was looking at my idea, praying that Draco would just focus on our project instead of trying to make small talk. Did I like it when he did that? Definitely. But I also didn't want to get into him more than I already had. After all, the boy was "trouble", whatever that meant.

"Yeah I guess we can just talk about the boring history of Dementors. Then we can share information about the Patronus and you can share your story. And then you could try to mentor me... and yeah if I can produce one by the time the project ends, we can write about it. If not...I don't know. I guess we can write about it as well." Draco broke the silence. This research paper really was a massive pain in the ass for him.

"That's okay by me." I replied softly, looking into his eyes for a second.

"Fuck it." Draco breathed in sharply all of a sudden, making my body stiffen. I raised a brow as he moved closer to me, not exactly sure what his mind had thought of now.

"Fuck my father for warning me to stay away. Fuck my friends for telling me to ignore you. Fuck everyone. I can't." He growled, his voice low and raspy.

"Malfoy... I-" I mumbled, feeling my stomach form a knot, my nerves getting the better of me.

"This sexual tension is fucking killing me. I would much rather throw myself from this damn tower than to live with it for the rest of our time in this ridiculous school." He continued, his hand moving to rest on the side of my neck as he moved closer to me.

"This is not smart, Draco." I said as calmly as possible, trying not to show any of the inner excitement I had started feeling.

"I don't give a flying fuck if it is the worst idea in this pathetic world." It sure was just that. "How can you be so fucking calm when I am millimeters away from you?" Draco growled lowly, making me smirk.

"Like you said, Draco. A big part of me is a Slytherin. I can be painfully calm..." I whispered, a light hmm escaping my lips as I felt Draco's crash onto mine.

The kiss was rushed yet passionate, it was almost as if he didn't want it to end but he didn't want to get caught. My hand moved to grab onto his slightly unbuttoned shirt, earning another low groan from him. It felt so good and so wrong at the same time.

"Onto my lap... now." Draco mumbled against my lips.

"Don't order me around, Malfoy." I purred in his ear, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of dominating me.

"Oh fuck you, Dalia." Draco scoffed, his hands moving under my butt.

I chucked when I felt him trying to move me to the desired destination and decided to help him a little.

"Satisfied?" I questioned once I was where he wanted me.

Draco looked at me, his eyes a dark grey colour. His lips touched mine yet again, the kiss slower and even deeper this time. I smirked as he bit my lip before slightly opening my mouth. He immediately took advantage of the situation, his tongue making his way into it. His hands moved up, resting under my shirt at my waist. I let out a barely audible moan, making him smirk. He knew he had me. Draco's hands moved up and slowly pulled my jacket down, my hands moving to rest on his chest again as he deepened the kiss even more.

"Wow." He breathed out as he slowly pulled away for air.

His lips moved to leave small bites along my neck, making me bite my lip. I didn't want to show how weak he had made me.

"So is the tension gone now? " I whispered, trying to control my breathing as best as I could.

"Mhm." Draco hummed, his eyes moving up and down my body.

I felt his hands slowly slide down from my shoulders and along my hands until they finally stopped at my wrists. He was silent. I followed his gaze and shivered slightly as I finally noticed what he was so interested in. My dark mark. Fuck... I had completely forgotten about it for once.

"I knew it." He whispered quite coldly.

I was expecting a strong reaction. A shove, a yell, anything. But it was silent. He was weirdly calm.

"What? It really means nothing..." I mumbled, trying to pull my hand away from his tight grip.

"Oh you are wrong." Draco cleared his throat, his fingers wrapping around my wrist even tighter. "A dark mark means that you are a loyal Death Eater. I was skeptical... I know your dad is one but I had never believed that you could be one just because..." He said quietly, his fingers slowly tracing over the snake's body.

"I am not a Death Eater, Malfoy. I am not loyal to... him. I never have and never will be." I interrupted him, making Draco look up to me.

"I swear, Malfoy... If you go around and say anything about our actions today or my dark mark I will personally..." I hissed.

"Relax." Draco whispered, his finger moving to touch my lips, making me shiver.

"What do you mean relax? Are you off your rocker? Do you not know how fast rumors spread around this moronic school? They already suspect it. How the fuck am I supposed to just live my pathetic life in here if it is confirmed? How am I even going to explain to half of those brainless idiots that I am not loyal, that I didn't become one by choice..." I growled lowly, getting quite frustrated with his calmness.

Draco's eyes looked down at the mark again before looking back up into my auburn eyes, his right hand moving slowly down to my neck. The look in his eyes made me feel quite guilty at my tone of voice.

"I am sorry..." I whispered after a second.

"Wow. This is the first time I have seen a Hufflepuff side to you." Draco chucked.

He moved his hand away from me and slowly rolled his sleeve up, revealing a mark identical to mine. I froze.

"I don't have a reason to say anything." He said seriously.

I finally moved away from his lap and put my jacket on quickly.

"This is why... my father warned me to stay away." I mumbled as I looked down at his hand.

"What a coincidence. We were warned the same things." Draco chuckled. "But you can't deny... it felt good, Vanaja." I was silent for a long time.

"You are not wrong..." I finally admitted before looking away. "But that doesn't mean that its right."

It was silent again. I was desperately trying to find the words to excuse myself and just go back to my dorm but my brain was scrambled.

"A half- blood Death Eater, let alone a girl. A girl that is definitely not heartless. Hard to believe." Draco whispered, making me look at him

Anger started bubbling up inside me like the cauldrons in Potions. It was as if he had just glanced over the fact that I didn't want to be one at all.

"A lot of Death Eaters are half-blood, Draco. And not all of them are heartless..." I sighed, trying not to show my current emotion.

"Lies." Draco hushed me, his voice becoming harsh.

"Should I list names?" I challenged him as I stood up.

In the blink of an eye I was pushed against a wall, Draco's hand firmly wrapped around my neck.

"Shut the fuck up with your bullshit." He growled, shocking me at first but then making me chuckle.

"You are not intimidating me, Malfoy. I have been through worse." I said quietly. "In fact, the most you can do with this is turn me on."

"Screw you." He spat, releasing the grip from my neck and pulling away from me.

"In your dreams." I retorted as I grabbed my bags. "You sound like the other brainwashed twats right now, believing what your superiors told you. Ask your pure- blood fanatics why Voldemort thinks that a weak girl who is half-blood has potential? Because he has said it to my father many times. I dare you to challenge the people who keep feeding you lies? But you won't, will you? You act like a playboy, Malfoy, and damn you are attractive but you need to actually grow a pair and build your own views and morals." I said coldly before leaving.

I didn't dare to look at him and I wasn't willing to give him a chance to respond. His threats didn't faze me at all, in fact, his words intrigued me even more. Was he really that blind to reality? And what the hell did his parents even tell him about the Death Eaters, Voldemort and even half-bloods and muggles? Obviously it was some major bullshit but I really wanted to know more. I sighed as I closed my dorm room door behind me. 'My heart is pure for the right people'... Was it really? He was clearly a blind follower, a puppet and his heart definitely wasn't pure.

"Merlin help me to teach you how to produce a Patronus..." I whispered as I began changing into my pajamas.

"Fucking hell Draco." I growled when I finally noticed the tiny marks he had left along my neck.

I surely had to cover those up but it was a problem for tomorrow. Now it was time for my tired body to finally rest. I moved into bed, my eyes closing immediately as I fell into a deep sleep.

~~~

"Brrrrrr." The buzzing of my alarm clock woke me up nice and early.

I groaned as I sat up in my bed. This was something I would absolutely never get used to. With a yawn I got up and moved to put my uniform on, this time making sure to wear a skirt just for fun.I tucked my shirt under it and put my cardigan on before quickly hiding the marks with foundation. Once I was completely happy I grabbed my bag with the books for the day, took my robe and went to do my morning toiletries. Today I had Charms and Potions... great, I would have to sit next to Draco again. Part of me wasn't too happy about this after what happened yesterday, however, another part of me wanted to know how he would act. It was as if my brain told me not to communicate with this devil out of our class activities, but my heart was just leading me to him. I was just hoping that we would be able to work without fighting over our obvious differences. The Great Hall was almost empty this morning which was good. I didn't want any questions to be asked, especially since I was completely sure that everyone knew that I was doing a project with the playboy of the school last night. After a quick breakfast I went to Charms. What a surprise, Draco was there too. Luckily, there was a space quite far away from him so I could actually manage to get a bit of peace, or so I thought. His smirk was so damn big it almost covered his entire face. Maybe he wasn't pissed off at me after all? I rolled my eyes as I sat down, making sure to hold my skirt so that nothing showed. Oh, how I disliked wearing those damn things. Class was quite uneventful, if anything it was mostly boring but needed. I was trying to ignore Malfoy's beyond rude remarks towards other students, especially the so called "Golden Trio" who I still knew absolutely nothing about, as much as possible while taking notes. As the minutes passed, the bickering got beyond unbearable, prompting me to face the blonde boy.

"You know, Draco, being rude to others isn't going to make your dick grow bigger." I finally snapped, making him go silent for a second and earning a glare from Pansy.

"Shut up, Vanaja, or I will make sure that the rest of your stay here is miserable." He snapped back, clearly disappointed that he didn't get the reaction he wanted from me.

"How much more miserable can it even get. I already have to do a project with you." I put my tongue out at him before turning back to face the professor.

"You are such a fucking bitch." He growled at me.

"Right after you." I winked at him and sent him an air kiss before completely blocking him out of my vision. Pansy's huffs of anger, caused by my actions, were beyond worth it.

Finally peace and quiet. I could concentrate on the class, well, that was until a piece of parchment paper flew onto my desk and interrupted my writing. I took it and raised a brow, looking around the room to see who had sent it. Malfoy was staring at me, his ice blue eyes melting holes right through me. How smooth, this guy didn't give up easily. I opened the note, biting my lip at the words.

'You look fucking hot with a skirt... ;)'

I looked back at Malfoy and raised my brow at him, making a barely visible smirk appear on his face. After yesterday I was completely sure that he would at least pull away from me for a while and that would've honestly been for the best. After all, our views completely clashed, I was a half-blood and by now he had probably found out more about my past. I shouldn't have said anything about Voldemort's opinions on me. Class ended and I headed out to eat quickly before returning to the little private spot I had found so I could get some time to collect my thoughts. My head rested against the wall as I sat onto the stone block.

"You didn't seem miserable last night when we were doing the project. " I heard a familiar voice say, making me groan.

"Wasn't I a fucking bitch?" I mumbled as I sat up straight."Why do you even bother talking to me?"

"Well I don't know about that..." He said, his eyes roaming my body. "But what I know is that you sure as hell don't know how to properly sit with a skirt."

"Maybe I like sitting with my legs spread. I can't believe you still eye me up like that after everything." I said, trying to see if there would be any reaction.

Draco looked at the little crevice, used to get to the hidden spot before moving forward between my legs. I couldn't help but smirk. Despite my reservations, something about this boy made me desire him, he was like the forbidden candy I desperately needed. I bit my lip as he leaned in towards my ear.

"I fucking hate you." Draco mumbled, his voice husky.

"The feelings are mutual." I whispered, my left hand moving to rest around his neck as my right one found its way to his chest. 

A chuckle left his lips as he leaned in, stopping only millimeters away from me.

"So what do you want to do?" He teased, making me groan quietly.

My moved up his chest, my finger resting in front of his mouth. As much as I wanted to repeat our actions from yesterday, I was abstaining myself. It was wrong. Draco was a Slytherin, who disliked anything but pure-bloods and seemed like a loyal Death Eater. This was a recipe for disaster.

"Nothing. This is wrong." I bit my lip at those words, knowing that the first part of my statement was a complete lie.

"And?" He questioned, his hands resting on my hips.

My grip on his neck loosened before both of my hands fell to my side. I was silent, desperately searching for an answer.

"We have known each other for barely a day. We are both supposed to stay away from each other. I don't think both of our families would be thrilled to know that we have to be project partners until the end of the year..." I sighed, averting my gaze to avoid Malfoy's stare. "Imagine what would happen if they somehow found out that we have done a bit more than just work together for class."

I was stating facts which I was certain that Malfoy already knew. My hand ran through my hair in an attempt to fix a few loose strands. I saw Draco bite his lip and slowly pull away from me, his hands trailing down my thighs before he removed them from my body completely.

"See you in Potions." Draco said coldly, his hands grabbing his backpack before he lefft.

"See you." I whispered just as he disappeared around the corner. 

The rest of the lunch break was not much of a break for me. My body was still, my eyes observing my legs where Draco's touch was still lingering. Yesterday I had let my guard down and made a big mistake. Maybe if I hadn't let myself go and hadn't kissed him, I would've been able to concentrate on what was important at this very moment. Maybe if we hadn't shared our moment at the Astronomy tower I wouldn't have dreamed of him. The ring of the bell took me out of my thoughts. With a sigh I grabbed my backpack and stood up, not really feeling like facing him again today. But I couldn't just skip on my second day of classes. I got to the classroom right on time and sat down in my spot silently. Draco showed up a few minutes later, mumbling an apology and sitting down next to me. His fingers immediately began fumbling with the pages of his textbook, neither of us daring to look towards the other. Professor Slughorn's voice was distant, my brain repeating the event from last night, followed by the one today over and over again.

"Why are you not concentrating on the potion we have to make, Vanaja?" Draco said seriously.

"What potion?" I whispered, finally snapping out of my thoughts.

"Pathetic. I have a useless partner." Draco mumbled.

He was right this time. I had completely zoned out and wasn't aware with what was going on in class at at all. Draco shook his head and stood up, coming back with the needed ingredients shortly after. My eyes quickly scanned through the Ashwinder egg, Rose thorn, Peppermint, Powered moonstone and Pearl dust and Rose petal jars which were neatly organized on our table.

"Are we actually making Amortentia or is this just another one of your massive jokes?" I questioned.

"Why would I be taking the piss out of a potion?" Draco rolled his eyes.

"Because I have noticed that you take the piss out of everything." I mumbled.

My focus was switched to the front of the room where Professor Slughorn was having a conversation with the brown haired Gryffindor girl from the so called "Golden Trio".

"It is one of the most powerful love potions in the world." She said, earning praise from the Professor.

"I would like for you to make it with your desk partner and then smell it. The smell is unique to each person and reflects what they find extremely attractive." Professor Slughorn explained.

I quietly began measuring the ingredients while Draco was putting them inside the cauldron. For once we were peacefully working together which was actually a change I found pleasant. After a surprisingly short time we were ready, the pinkish pearly liquid gently swirling around the cauldron.

"We are done, professor." Malfoy said, making the entire class turn around to face us.

"Impressive." Professor Slughorn said. "And what does it smell for both of you?" He asked.

The class went silent, curious to see what we would say. I looked at the liquid and leaned in, a beautiful smell filling my nostrils and making me smile. It seemed oddly familiar.

"Applemint." I said softly. " A beautiful herb with a slight apple scent and yet such a minty flavour."

Gasps could be heard around the room. I looked up and raised a brow at the strange looks I was getting before looking at Draco. His expression was cold and serious but there was a slight twinkle in his eyes.

"Very well. Mister Malfoy?" Professor Slughorn questioned.

|| Draco's P.O.V. ||

My breath hitched when she revealed what the scent of the potion was for her. I felt an unfamiliar feeling in my stomach as I tried to look completely serious. It was wrong and I knew that father wouldn't approve of my current feelings but this girl had managed to stir something in me, something I had never felt before. 

"Yes, professor." I said as I took a sniff .

"Weird..." I mumbled before looking up. "I smell cinnamon and autumn leaves? Familiar but I am not certain from where." I said, my mind racing as to why I knew that scent.

Weasley's giggle immediately made me send a glare in his direction.

"What are you laughing at, carrot boy?" I growled at him.

|| Dalia's P.O.V. ||

There he went again, bickering with other students. How could I find the biggest ass in the entire school so attractive. And moreover, why the hell did his potion smell like me. It was obvious that there was sexual tension, a lot of it, but I wasn't expecting it to go deeper than that, especially considering the different views our families had. The last minutes of class ended with Draco shooting cocky remarks at The Golden Trio but I couldn't be bothered with listening to that right now. I had to ask Hannah more about those three at some point. The hate in Draco's voice didn't come from nowhere, after all.

"Tonight after dinner." He stated firmly when class finally ended.

"Yeah...ok" I replied, getting up and leaving class right after him.

I kept getting looks in the hallway, which confused me so much and at the same time, made me feel extremely uncomfortable. I had always been unbothered by what others were saying about me, after all, I had to get used to it after my mother's death. But something about the petty gossip in this place made me feel on edge. I went back to my dorm as quick as I could, hoping to get some private time away from hungry eyes. Sadly, a knock on my door interrupted my desperate attempt to calm my nerves. I opened it slowly, taken aback from the harsh way in which Hannah came in.

"I can't believe it! So fast! How?" She questioned in a hushed voice.

"Wait? What?" I was completely confused, a billion thoughts running through my mind. Had Draco told everyone? Had someone seen us? What the actual fuck was happening?

"Your potion smelled like Draco..." She whispered dramatically. "Everyone is talking about it."

"And this is a big deal because?" You asked, getting kind of annoyed at the gossip.

"Well everyone is trying to figure out who his potion smelled like... especially Pansy. It didn't smell like her." She continued with her news.

I tried to keep an indifferent look on my face when I heard that. It felt good, knowing that a girl that had been a bitch to me didn't have the attention of the school playboy. What made it even better was the fact that the same boy was apparently extremely attracted to me, the half-blooded cow, like Pansy had so cleverly tried to offend me.

"So this is it? Pansy is pissed because she is not getting her way. And everyone is in shock because I find an obviously attractive male student... attractive." I laughed at how ridiculous it sounded.

"Is it you?" Hannah asked after a while of silence.

"What are you on about again, Hannah?" I chuckled as I sat down on my bed next to her.

"Were you the person he smelled in the potion?" She whispered, moving closer to me.

"Why would it be me?" I questioned, curious as to what she would say.

"Your room reeks of cinnamon. You smell like cinnamon. It is so obvious." Hannah said, her hands waving around.

"It is autumn, Hannah... There are so many students who smell like cinnamon. He can be attracted to a family friend that is not even in this school. Besides, I am not pure-blood." I said calmly, trying to somehow make her believe that there was no way it could be me.

"You are right." She sighed and flopped back onto my bed.

"Who could it be then?" She asked.

"I don't know... I can ask him tonight?" I joked.

"Its Malfoy. Doubt he will tell you anything." Hannah said before standing up again.

"Well I will leave you for now. See you at dinner maybe?" She said.

"Yeah." I smiled softly at her, watching her turn around. "Hey, Hannah?"

"Yes?" She turned around, a questioning look on her face.

"Who are the so-called "Golden Trio". And why does Draco hate them so much... especially that one boy. Round glasses."

"Harry Potter." Hannah said. "It is a long story... but they are basically the school heroes. Everyone respects them, well, except Draco and the Slytherins. But with the other Slytherins it is more of a house battle than anything else. Gryffindor versus Slytherin, things that I never really cared to understand." She added.

"Oh okay." I nodded, getting the impression that she didn't really want to go too deep into it and deciding not to push it more.

"See you!" Hannah chimed as she left.

"See you, Hannah." I said back before laying back onto my bed.

I really needed to take a shower, change and get some rest before dinner time came.


	5. ~ Interruptions ~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Scarlett is an added character by me. Draco imagines smut in this one but it is not detailed. I hope you are enjoying the story so far!

I was patiently waiting in front of the Slytherin common room, my oversized shirt wrapped around my body. The idea to change into a crop top and my loose jeans was bad, considering that winter was practically around the corner. Malfoy was late which mildly pissed me off, especially since I had seen him leave the Great Hall early after dinner. 'Maybe he is busy...' I thought to myself as I leaned against the cold stone wall. Either that or he had decided to ditch tonight. Malfoy didn't seem like the type to forget arrangements or be late to ones, which confused me even more. With a sigh I closed my eyes, trying to think of something to do while waiting. I was going to give him only ten more minutes to appear before going back to my dorm room. A tap on my shoulder made me jump, my hand instinctively moving to grab the other person's wrist and squeeze it tightly.

"Chill, it's just me." Malfoy mumbled, his tone unusually quiet.

"Sorry..." I sighed, raising a brow at the direction he had obviously come from.

"I had some... work to do." Draco said when he noticed my obvious confusion.

"Yeah no worries." I shrugged. "It's your business, I don't need to or care to know about it."

"Where are we going?" I asked after a while of us awkwardly sitting in the middle of the hallway in silence.

"My dorm." Malfoy stated confidently.

"Really? Isn't that like... forbidden?" I chuckled at his demeanor.

"Dementor." Malfoy mumbled, the stone wall shifting and allowing us to go into the dark passage, leading to their common room.

"And you just said the password in front of a Hufflepuff." I sighed, completely shocked at his "fuck it" attitude.

"Do I look like I care, Vanaja? I don't give a flying fuck if it is forbidden... and I don't really think you will do anything if you know that password." He said, his face forming a disgusted expression once he saw a familiar face in the common room. "Plus they will change it soon anyway." He added, obviously trying to act completely unbothered at the sight of Pansy staring at him.

My eyes fell on Pansy who was giving me the nastiest stink eye. She looked beyond pathetic. In a desperate attempt to get her ugly mug out of my mind, I shifted my gaze, examining the beautiful common room. It was the complete opposite to the Huffepuff one but still felt weirdly comfortable to be in. The green lamps complimented the beautiful leather sofas and the lake water, which could be seen through the windows, just added to the ambiance.

"Why did you bring this imbecile to our dorms?" Her annoying voice rang, disturbing the calm atmosphere of the common room. "You are tainting the Slytherin name with this filthy half-blood being here."

"You are tainting the Slytherin name with your shrill voice." Malfoy remarked coldly.

I looked down, trying to hide the smile creeping on my face, as I heard loud footsteps disappearing into the distance. She had stormed away. We were silent as the Slytherin prince led me to his dorm room. I was walking behind him which allowed me to observe the extremely luxurious suit he had on. It fit his body perfectly.

"You like what you see, Vanaja?" I heard him ask, my gaze shifting to the floor again.

"What makes you think that I am looking at you, Malfoy?" I replied, trying to sound confident.

"I just know it." He chuckled lowly. He had to be bluffing.

"Well not everyone is head over heels for you." I desperately tried masking my embarrassment.

With the swish of his wand, Malfoy opened a door, presumably the one to his dorm. I stepped in after him, the door slamming shut behind me.

"So you smelled me in that potion..." He said as he leaned against his desk.

"And you smelled me. Your point is?" I replied back quietly. "The entire school is going crazy over this bullshit."

"Does anyone know of this?" Malfoy asked. For the first time I heard concern in his voice. Of course, he was concerned when it came to his reputation.

"Hannah suspected it but just reminding her that I was half-blood was enough for her to shut up about it." I sighed. "So the mighty Malfoy desires me so much but wants to keep it a secret?"

"Shut up." Malfoy groaned before sitting on his chair.

His room was unusually hot for such a cold person. I took my shirt off and sat down on his bed in my crop top. It felt quite refreshing to be able to show my mark without having to worry.

"I used the free time I had to start writing our research paper. I have the introduction and my experience with the Patronus written down." I said as I took out the parchment paper from my backpack.

"I have written a bit on Dementors... didn't have time for much." Malfoy said, his eyes scanning my body.

"You better pull your weight, Malfoy." I jokingly threatened him.

"Or I can give you the best night of your life and you can write it for me." Malfoy raised his brow. I couldn't tell if his proposal was serious.

"Is that why you brought me to your dorm room? Was the Astronomy tower not up to your standards?" I teased, deciding to play along for a bit.

"It crossed my mind." Malfoy shrugged as he reached over to grab my notes.

"It is not that easy to persuade me." I challenged.

"I think I know where I stand in my abilities."

"Well this is great to know but I would like to remind you that we need to finish this report paper. And that I have to teach you to produce a Patronus... which could prove difficult." I changed the topic, feeling like I would lose control if we continued.

"Teach me then." Malfoy smirked.

"Cocky bastard." I rolled my eyes as I stood up, motioning for him to do the same.

"Now. It is important to note that..."

"Yeah, yeah I know. A lot of wizards are unable to produce that. I know all the formalities, Vanaja." He rushed me to continue.

"Okay, okay..." I sighed. "Think of the happiest moment in your life. A happy memory..."

"I don't have those, Vanaja. It's not gonna work."

"Um..." I was shocked at such an honest response, not knowing how to continue for a second. "You could also imagine something that would make for a very happy memory."

I saw him close his eyes and couldn't help but smile a bit. His usual tight expression was replaced with a softer one. It completely changed the way he looked.

"Now what?" He mumbled.

"Start drawing circles with your wand..."

"No, not like that, Draco. Smaller rounder circles." I said quietly.

Slowly I moved next to him, my right hand moving to rest on his shoulder while my left one gently wrapped around his hand, which was holding the wand. I tightened my grasp and started guiding him, making sure that he got the hang of it before stepping away from him again.

"Whenever you are ready just say Expecto Patronum." I whispered, trying hard not to disturb him.

It was silent for quite a while, the expression on Draco's face changing to a concentrated one.

|| Draco's P.O.V. ||

I tried hard to hang on to the scene in my head. It felt weird to imagine her naked, her slightly curly hair messily spread everywhere on the pillow. Her cheeks getting redder as her plump lips moaned out my name. I bit my lip, trying to concentrate on my vision. Was this really what would make me happy? Her touch sent shivers down my spine, my heart dropping once I felt her move back. I wanted her to touch me again and I didn't want her to stop. I was craving her more and more every day. Everyone who told me that I should stay away just made me want her more. I concentrated on the scenario in my head, hearing her moaning out my name louder. 'I love you, Draco.' her soft voice panted out, making my stomach flip.

"Expecto Patronum." I said firmly, finally opening my eyes to see if anything would happen.

|| Dalia's P.O.V. ||

A small blue light came out from the tip of his wand but soon faded away. I sat down on his bed and let out a soft hum.

"This is pointless." I heard him groan as he chucked his wand on his desk, the sound of wood on wood echoing around his room.

"You were still able to produce something even if it was a light. This is still more than many wizards can do, Draco."

"I never fail, Vanaja." Draco said angrily. The change of behaviour scared me a bit. "Something you will never understand."

"I would say document this as day one and try again every day, refining the scenario in your head. It could be that something was off with it. Experiment, switch it around and I am sure that you can do it!" I decided to ignore his remark and instead opted for a more comforting response.

Draco was silently looking at me, anger burning in his eyes. I gulped when I saw him slowly move closer to me, my body sitting further back in his bed, trying to create more distance between us.

"Your bullshit encouragement is only pissing me off even more." He growled lowly, his hand grabbing my neck again before yanking my head up and making me look at him.

"What the fuck are you onto, Malfoy." I hissed, my left hand moving over his, trying to loosen his grip.

"I am making my imagined scenario come true." He growed back at me.

"Stop bullshitting me. You couldn't have imagined u..."

A knock on the door made Draco pull away from me harshly. I quickly put my shirt back on to cover my hands and grabbed a book, trying to look as innocent as possible.

"What?" Draco questioned as soon as he opened the door.

"I just wanted to..." Blaise started saying but stopped immediately when he saw me. "Oh, I didn't know you had a bitch over." I immediately glared at him, ready to make him meet Merlin if he had said anything else regarding me.

"Watch your mouth, you moron. She is not a bitch. She is my project partner." The anger in Draco's voice was evident. Wow, he was standing up for me now?

"Whatever. Find me when you pull that stick out of your ass. I need to talk to you." Blaise rolled his eyes before leaving.

Draco slammed the door behind him with a frustrated sigh before looking at me.

"I hate being interrupted." He mumbled, a hand going through his messy hair.

"I think I should get going, Draco." I managed to say, my brain left scrambled yet again. It was best to just leave the situation as it was.

"Yeah." Draco sighed.

I quickly packed my stuff and got up to leave. As I reached his door, I felt Draco's hands wrap around my waist and pull me against his body.

"We both know that this is not right...so can you stop making it so difficult for me..." I whispered, my hands slowly pushing his away from my body.

Draco shifted behind me. Although I couldn't see him, I could sense his anger.

"I will notify you when I can produce a Patronus..." Draco said after a while of uncomfortable silence.

I didn't realize how fast I was back into my dorm room. Somehow every "one on one" encounter with Malfoy left my brain extremely perplexed and my heart beating wildly. It was wrong and I knew that I had to stay away from him but I never seemed to manage. If my dad had heard about what I had done with the boy we warned me about on my second day of school he would be furious. As I sat down on my bed I wondered what Draco's father would do and more importantly, what Draco would do if someone found out that he desired a half-blooded Hufflepuff. Did I even deserve to be in this house or did the sorting hat pick it out of pity? Since I had been here a lot of people had firmly stated that I didn't act like a Hufflepuff. Yes, I looked a lot like my mother, however, during my entire life people had pointed out that I have my father's attitude. So was Hufflepuff the right choice if I acted so much like a Slytherin? Had the sorting hat chosen my house based on my Death Eater status? Had it feared that I would open my heart to evil if I had gone to Slytherin? Of course, it could have been that I was a half-blood and I would've been looked down upon in that house,but that made no sense since there were many other half-bloods in Slytherin. With a sigh I began changing into my pajamas. It was already way too late for me to be awake and even though tomorrow was a day off for me, I wanted to be up bright and early so that I could crack on with the homework given to me. Quickly I set up my alarm clock to ring at 8am.This year looked to be quite difficult but I was determined to do more than well in it. I wanted to make my father proud. I snuggled into the warm blankets and closed my eyes, my mind shifting to thinking about Draco again. Damn it, I couldn't get away from this boy even when I was alone with my thoughts. Had he really imagined us as the scenario for his Patronus?

~~~

The alarm ringing took me out of dreamland, my eyes barely able to open. I whined softly as I stretched out, not wanting to unwrap my body and deprive it from the warmth of my bedsheets. Eventually I summoned up the courage and allowed myself to get up, my body shivering lightly as the cold air hit it. The outfit for the day was some thick black leggings, another black crop top with a yellow oversized hoodie on top. I paired that with my yellow Doc Martens, feeling quite happy with the outcome. A spray of my cinnamon perfume and I was ready to go do my morning toiletries. It felt weird to dress up before brushing my teeth but I felt incredibly awkward showing myself to others in my pajamas. Maybe later on in the year I was going to overcome this but for now I decided to stick with my backwards ways. Once it was all done, I came back to my room and grabbed my backpack with me, throwing it over one shoulder. The Great Hall was almost entirely empty which got me excited. I missed having breakfast in peace. I sat down in my usual spot, getting nice and comfy before digging into the delicious food.

"H-hey." I heard a timid voice next to me.

"Hey" I said back with a smile once I had swallowed my bite. "I haven't seen you around here before."

"I tend to be silent. Maybe this is why." The auburn haired girl said. "I noticed you in the Hufflepuff common room and in Potions..."

"Oh you are a Hufflepuff in my year?" I chuckled softly, wondering why I hadn't noticed her before at all.

"Y-yes. My name is Scarlett Silas. I don't have many friends around here..." Scarlett said, her hand moving to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I feel you. People seem to be scared of me. So far the only people I could consider friends are Hannah and Malfoy."

"M-Malfoy? Oh no." The girl said, her voice getting lower.

"Well I wouldn't say friends. We are project partners so we have to talk to each other and work as a team whether we like it or not." I chuckled, trying to somehow fix the awkward situation I had created.

I should have considered that Malfoy didn't have the greatest reputation around here.

"Well I don't think I am scared of you." Scarlett said, a smile coming to her face. "You look nice enough."

"Oh thank you." I said as I turned to my breakfast again.

We were eating in silence for a while as I was debating on whether to ask the girl if she wanted to come study with me or to keep quiet. I wanted to have a close friend in here and she seemed extremely nice but part of me was worried that she would get scared of me eventually.

"Hey, Scarlett?" I finally decided to ask her.

"Yes?" She said, her gorgeous green eyes meeting mine again.

"I am thinking of going to the gardens to study and do some homework today since it is a nice day out. Do you want to join me?"

"Oh, sure sure. I would love to. Studying alone can sometimes get boring." She looked extremely happy.

I finished breakfast quite fast and looked around the Great Hall, examining students from different houses. Everyone looked like they belonged, everyone but me. I saw Harry, Ron and the girl whose name I hadn't yet learned laughing at something. The Ravenclaws were quietly reading while eating and the Slytherins... well they were being Slytherins. Our table was almost empty and quiet chatter could be heard.

"All done. Sorry for having to wait." Scarlett's soft voice said, making me chuckle.

"Don't worry about it."

With a satisfied sigh I stood up and grabbed my backpack. On our way out Draco was just coming in. He looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep, his hair all messed up and his eyes bloodshot red. I greeted him with a barely visible smile, expecting at least something in return. Instead he looked at me, then at Scarlett, his expression changing to disgust all of a sudden as he pushed past me, his shoulder hitting mine.

"He is not very nice." Scarlett mumbled as soon as he was a secure distance away.

That was the most Hufflepuff thing I had heard.

"Everyone has their bad sides, Scarlett."

"But that doesn't mean that this bad has to be constantly out."

"You are right. But circumstances change people."

Scarlett nodded her head as if she was trying to remember my words.

"Bottom line is, Draco will always be a dick to others, this is who he is. I don't think that he is evil like a lot of students claim, I just think he has a lot of anger that he can't manage in any other way. So the best thing to do when he is being nasty is to ignore it." I added after a while.

"I have never thought of it like that." Scarlett hummed. "Look, we can sit down under that tree."

I smiled at her suggestion and let her pick the perfect spot under the big tree. Scarlett appeared to be the polar opposite of me but so far our conversations had been going smoothly.

"What do you need to do?" She asked as she began pulling her textbooks and parchment paper out.

"Oh Merlin, what don't I need to do?" I laughed as I did the same.

"I have a Potions homework, a Charms homework for which I have to look over the lesson again... and I have to research Dementors for D.A.D.A because I want to be prepared if Malfoy doesn't pull his part in the research paper." I mumbled, looking around as I tried to decide what to start with first.

We fell into a comfortable silence, both of us working away in complete concentration. The pleasant breeze brought the smell of winter. I was excited to finally be able to wear my cozy sweaters and have hot cocoa and tea. I closed my eyes, my back resting against the tree behind me. My body had decided to take a break against what my brain was telling it.

"Vanaja." I heard a familiar voice call. "Stop hanging out with this bloody nebbish." His voice was bitter.

Scarlett's eyes went wide with fear, her hands scrambling to collect her textbooks so she could leave fast. I sighed, feeling quite annoyed that a chance of me to possibly have a friend was ruined.

"Or else, Malfoy?" I questioned, standing up.

It was a failed attempt to be intimidating as the top of my head came right below his chin.

"Merlin forbid you turn into one too." He spat, glaring at Scarlett. "Anyway, I need you for a bit."

I groaned as I bent down to collect my stuff. While I was getting back up, I looked at Scarlett apologetically. She was pale with fear. 'Sorry.' I mouthed silently, calming down a bit when I saw her give me a small nod.

"I will see you later, Scarlett." I said as I waved bye to her and started walking after Draco.

We walked for quite a while, stopping at a quite hidden area near the Forbidden Forest.

"Scared to go in there?" He asked, motioning towards it with a head nod.

"Not really." I mumbled, finally looking up at him.

His eyes moved back to mine, his hand moving to gently put a strand of my hair behind my shoulder. In a split second, as if he had realized what he was doing, his hand froze and moved away from me harshly. Malfoy turned around, clearing his throat uncomfortably. He had broken his usual character and he knew it.

"So? What do you need me for?" I questioned, not wanting to waste time. "I have a lot of work to do."

"The light got a bit bigger but I still can't do it." He mumbled.

"But it is still progress. I think you will manage." I whispered, not really knowing how to react.

"Anyway, this is not why I called you for. I... Pansy is organizing this party and I..." He struggled to let the words out. "I don't want to stay in the Slytherin dorm."

"Okay so what do you want me to do about that?" I asked. He had managed to confuse me yet again.

"Can I stay in your dorm until the party dies down?" He finally managed to blurt out.

I was shocked. Had Malfoy really swallowed his ego for once and allowed himself to ask me such a question.Was I really the only person outside of Slytherin who he could ask for a favour? I looked down at my feet, trying to figure out if this was just a part of a sinister plan.

"Forget that I asked..." Draco said bitterly, taking me out of my thoughts.

"No no. You can stay, don't worry. Just give me a time and I will wait for you outside at the entrance of our house." I said quickly, almost fearing that he had already changed his mind.

"Thank you, Dalia. Eleven pm..." Draco mumbled, his gaze not meeting mine at all. Was he embarrassed? "Oh and... nice Hufflepuff clothing theme." He whispered before disappearing out of my sight.

I shook my head as I began walking back to the tree where I had previously been lounging. Scarlett was gone. I had to be very careful about this little favour I was doing Malfoy. Surely the other Hufflepuffs wouldn't like the fact that he was just chilling in the Hufflepuff dorms. 'Dalia'... his name rang in my ears as I tried finishing my Potions homework.

"Oh fuck" I gasped when I remembered what a mess my room was.

Quickly I packed everything again and ran to the Hufflepuff common room, tapping the barrel in the correct rhythm as fast as I could before rushing into my room. It was like a bomb had fallen into it. How did I manage to make it this messy so fast? As quick as I could, I started folding clothes, putting dirty ones in the hamper and looking around for anything that I didn't want Malfoy to see. Once I was satisfied with the way my room looked, I allowed myself to sit down and take a breather. Since there was a lot of time until dinner, I decided to sit down and concentrate on finishing my homework. Part of me was quite nervous about the way the night would go down.


	6. ~ Sleepover ~

It was exactly eleven pm. I quickly tiptoed to the entrance of the Hufflepuff common room, not bothering to put my shoes on to be as quiet as possible. Cautiously I allowed myself to exit, my eyes rolling when I didn't see Malfoy there. Was this a prank he was pulling on me? A dark figure turned one of the corners, making my body freeze. The black robes were flying behind him, making him resemble a dementor or even worse... professor Snape. Thаt walk, however, I could never mistake that walk. It was definitely Malfoy. My eyes squinted, trying to observe what he was clutching in his hands.

"Hey." He whispered once he reached me. He was completely out of breath.

I quickly tapped the correct barrel to the beat, letting us in. Luckily, most of the Hufflepuffs preferred to spend their nights after ten in the privacy of their own dorms. I smiled when I saw Draco looking around our common room.

"Do you like our flowers?" I whispered, trying hard not to chuckle.

"I don't know if I love or hate this place." He whispered back, his hand waving for me to keep walking.

"Some days I love it, other days the bright look of it makes me want to die inside. But I don't really spend much time here anyway."

I quietly opened the door to my room, a sigh of relief leaving both of our mouths once it was securely locked.

"I thought you were Snape for a second out there." I chuckled as I sat on my bed.

"Am I really that ugly?" Draco scoffed, his hands dropping the bag and moving to pull off his robes.

"Oh come on. I wouldn't say that Snape is ugly. He sure as hell is scary though." I said. "So how long will you be staying tonight?"

"Um... until tomorrow morning obviously." Draco said, his arrogance present as usual.

"Would've been helpful for you to tell me this earlier..." I said under my breath, feeling quite annoyed at this tiny detail he had conveniently missed.

"Then you wouldn't have allowed me to stay." He mumbled.

"You are talking out of your ass again, Malfoy."

He fell silent. I looked at him, surprised at his casual attire. So far I had only seen Draco in expensive suits or his school uniform and to be honest, I was never actually able to imagine him with sweatpants and a loose shirt.

"What are you looking at?" I heard him whisper, his eyebrow raised.

"Nothing I just... I never imagined you wearing casual clothes."

"Oh, so Vanaja is imagining me now?" He chuckled.

"I think this is beyond obvious to both of us." I groaned when I realized that I had forgotten to change into my comfy clothes.

"What is it with you now?" Malfoy rolled his eyes at me. "Always huffing and puffing."

"I didn't change before you came." I said, my hands pointing to my outfit.

"Then change." Malfoy stated matter-of-factly.

"In front of you? No way." I stood up to take some pajama pants and a tight tank top out.

"I see no problem." Malfoy smirked, earning himself a glare from me.

"Of course you see no problem... but not today. I will be right back."

I really wanted to give his waiting eyes a show but my nerves took the better of me. My left hand tightly clutched onto the clothes as I unlocked my door and went to the shared bathroom. It was empty. As I got into a stall and began changing the door opened, making my breath hitch. Quietly I continued changing to my pajamas, debating on whether to remove my bra or stay with it.

"Fuck it." I whispered to myself, covering my mouth immediately.

"Dalia?" Hannah called out. Shit.

"Hey, Hannah." I said quietly, my voice echoing in the bathroom.

"Are you okay?" She questioned.

"Yeah. I am just having a little dilemma." I giggled.

"Oooh, what about?" She questioned. She sure was nosy.

"I don't know if I should stay awake all night and write or if I should sleep." I lied.

"Oh, ha ha. Definitely get some rest." She said. "Bye."

I heard the sink stop and with that she was out. I removed my bra and put my tank top on. Malfoy was probably going to make a smart remark but I wanted to sleep comfortably. Once my tank top was nicely tucked into my pajama pants I was ready to leave. I quietly walked back to the room, looking around and making sure that nobody was around before slipping in.

"You really look a lot like your mother." Draco whispered. He was looking at the picture on my nightstand.

"I get that a lot." I said as I moved to sit in bed. "So are we going to write that research paper or should I make both of us some hot cocoa and... I don't know... talk?"

"Whatever..." Malfoy whispered, his eyes wandering up and down my body.

"Well then I will move to bed." I looked around the room, trying to decide what to do with the sleeping arrangements.

Part of me wanted to sleep in the common room but that was definitely a bad idea. Surely people would question why I was there and I definitely wasn't in the mood to think of a believable lie. I couldn't let the boy sleep on the floor and I definitely wasn't doing that myself, it was just way too cold and I didn't have enough blankets for the two of us. Oh how I wished that Malfoy would've been upfront about his intentions to stay with me all night. I went through all the possibilities in my head again, biting my lip when I got to the same conclusion. As much as it pained me, I had to let him sleep in bed with me.

"There is space for you too." I finally mumbled as I moved a bit further to the side.

"Thank you." Draco said.

He looked at me then down at his feet again before quietly removing his shirt, his toned body showing from underneath. I bit my lip, partially in surprise, but mainly because the view had made me more hot and bothered than I was willing to admit. Without saying a word Draco slowly laid down next to me, his hands crossing over his stomach.

"Well this is..."

"Awkward?" I questioned, a soft laugh escaping my lips.

"A bit, yes. Normally I am in a bed with girls only during one night stands. As soon as it is over, I am gone."

"Wow, classy." My words made him huff angrily.

"Surely you have had ones too so don't fucking judge." He mumbled.

"No, actually. I was in a serious relationship until recently. A two year one. He has been my first and only so far." I admitted, feeling quite embarrassed to be having this conversation with Draco of all people.

"Who was he?"

"A boy called Seth. Two years older than me. He was a Slytherin... and now he is. Well lets just say that he is being guarded by dementors." I said, my hands moving over my face for a bit as memories began flooding my head.

"What happened?" Malfoy asked, his voice getting softer when he noticed my body tense up.

"Regarding our relationship or what happened for him to go to Azkaban?"

"Both." Draco mumbled. "I have definitely seen the guy but I never knew he had a girlfriend... and I had no idea about his imprisonment." He sounded surprised. "I mean he was a stellar student. Everyone loved him and wanted to be like him. And he was always surrounded by girls."

"Right at the end of his seventh year I learned that he had been cheating on me basically from the start of our relationship. I should've known but I was too naive and trusted him." I mumbled before clearing my throat. "And about his crimes. He...tortured and killed muggles for fun. This is all I know. But I suspect that he did it because he hated the fact that his father was one."

"Hey at least you had someone." Malfoy chuckled nervously, evidently trying to cheer me up.

"The playboy, Malfoy, Draco Malfoy hasn't had a girlfriend yet?" I turned on my side, my eyes observing his fidgeting fingers.

"Well...Pansy has been all over me, trying to get with me for ages. But she is just so bloody annoying and repulsive to me."

"Surely there are others." I whispered.

"They just want to score, Dalia. They want to say that I fucked them. The sad thing is that I sometimes let them." He turned to his side as well, a strand of his hair falling in front of his eyes.

I nodded, my eyes moving up to his for a second. It felt nice to see this part of Draco, a part that he had never shown out in the open. He was the bad boy, the dangerous, evil one for the people around him. Ever since I had met him everyone had been warning me to stay away from him. But why? Was it because they had never seen this side of him?

"So why did you smell me in our potion?" I whispered, my eyes closing slowly. I was extremely tired.

"I wish I knew..." Draco sighed. "I guess my father's warnings made me curious. And then something flipped."

I hummed softly, feeling my body relax. My hands moved to grab the covers, pulling them over us.

"Please leave before everyone is awake... if I am not awake." I whispered tiredly.

"Nobody will find out." I heard Draco whisper, my body shivering when his hand slowly wrapped itself around my waist. "Don't worry."

"What are you doing?" I breathed out, my eyes barely opening.

"I just felt like doing this..." Draco mumbled.

My fingers slowly ran through his hair before I let my hand rest on his side. Malfoy looked so different right now, he looked at peace. I saw him bite his lip, his eyes darting from my lips to my eyes. I had no idea if it was the look in his eyes, the tranquil atmosphere we were in or if I was just way too tired but a sudden urge hit me like the Hogwarts Express. I was probably going to regret it later but the burning sensation in my body was way too strong.

"You can kiss me." I whispered.

He smiled softly, his hand moving up to the top of my back as he leaned in. The kiss was gentle, in complete contrast to the one we had shared before, his soft lips were moving against mine effortlessly. I smiled as I snuggled close to Draco, feeling completely relaxed. His hands were tightly wrapped around me, allowing me to feel secure. I was drifting off...

~~~

The familiar frustrating ring of my alarm clock woke me up. I groaned, my hand wandering towards my nightstand. Fuck. Malfoy. I shot up, looking around my room. Thank god it was empty, he had left successfully. How did I not manage to wake up? I cursed at myself as I stood up. I hated to admit it but tonight I had the best sleep since I had been here and I was completely sure that it was because of Draco. A yawn escaped my lips as I walked towards the mirror in my room, my eyes spotting a familiar shirt with a note on it.

"What the..." I mumbled as I approached it and took the piece of parchment paper in my hands.

'Thank you. I owe you one...'

Okay, the note was understandable but why did he leave his shirt as well. I slowly picked it up and put it in my wardrobe so that nobody would see it if I had visitors. It was Thursday which meant I had another free day to do whatever I wanted. One thing was for sure, however. I had to ask Draco about his shirt and return it. The day was rainy, which brought some unknown happiness to me. I looked around the castle, deciding to sit in a pretty secluded spot in the library, next to a big window. Until the end of the day my part of the research paper had to be fully finished and I still had to do my research on dementors, just in case. Studying took up most of my day. By the time I had finished it was already dinner time. I slowly made my way to the Great Hall, hoping that Draco would be there. But he wasn't... I hadn't seen him all day and I really wanted to chat with him about his shirt and our project together. He never showed up. My lips formed a frown as I decided to just call it a day and move towards my dorm room. Socializing did not sound appealing to me whatsoever. The studying had completely tired me out.

"Hey, Death Eater." Someone behind me yelled, a mocking laugh following soon after.

My body tensed at the words but I tried acting completely unbothered and kept walking.

"Vanaja. We are talking to you." Another voice yelled.

I ignored them once again until I felt someone push my back harshly. In the blink of an eye my body was slumped on the ground, my books spilling from my backpack. I looked up at the three unknown boys before silently starting to collect my books. Drawing more attention towards myself would only harm me in the long run.

"Don't act all smug, you bitch. We know everything about you. People like you turn Hogwarts into a pigsty." A black haired guy said.

"I really have no idea what you are talking about so please leave me alone." I mumbled quietly, trying not to get in trouble.

"Pathetic." A tall boy spat. "You deserve the worst kind of torture for what your kind has done."

I let out a sigh as I looked around the floor once again, spotting my quill. My hand reached out to grab it just as a foot stomped on it, completely flattening the tip.

"Your mother deserved to die, you disgusting piece of trash." The third boy snarled.

"Don't you dare talk shit about my mother." I yelled as I immediately stood on my feet. I had reached my breaking point. My eyes frantically looked around the area, spotting the crowd that had started forming behind the three Gryffindors who looked older than me.

"Or else Vanaja?" The dark haired boy laughed bitterly.

"Or else my father will make sure that all three of you not only get expelled from Hogwarts... but have miserable lives afterwards." A familiar voice calmly stated from behind them.

The three boys turned around, giving Draco a scared glance before they went off. Most of the students were still at dinner so only a small amount of them had seen this ordeal. That small crowd, however, was more than enough for the gossip to start.

"What are you still looking at? Fuck off." Draco turned to the gathered students.

His voice was calm but the anger in it was visible. The group slowly started moving away, everyone returning to their previous activities while quiet whispers filled the air.

"Degenerates." Malfoy spat, his attention shifting to me. "All good?"

"Yeah..." I whispered as I bent down to pick my smashed quill, my hands shaking. "I need to go to Hogsmeade and get a new one."

"And people think Gryffindors can do no harm." He rolled his eyes at the statement. "Come on."

Without saying a word I followed Draco, my body still shaking from the encounter. I felt helpless.I could've stood up for myself, I could've hexed them but I didn't want to gather more negative attention towards me. We walked for what seemed like ages, crossing hallways I never knew even existed, until he opened a door. A dark, cold room revealed itself, dusty old desks and empty shelves glaring at me. It looked like it hadn't been used in years. Draco closed the door behind me and sighed, his body leaning against one of the tables.

"Did they manage to hurt you?" His eyes were looking around my body, trying to find any marks.

"No. I wouldn't have let them." I whispered. "I just feel a bit shaken up because of..."

"What they said about your mother." Malfoy finished my sentence.

I nodded, biting my lip to prevent any emotions from surfacing. It was still just as difficult to think about her and comments felt like a stab to the heart with an ice pick. It didn't help that I had to witness not only her death, but the torture my father had been subjected to. I felt like I was slowly crumbling and no matter how strong I was, I didn't think I was able to withstand this if it happened on a daily basis. For the first time in years I felt that distant feeling coming back to me. My limbs felt frozen, my heart was beating wildly and my body was shaking. I felt...

"Scared." I whispered almost inaudibly, not realizing I had said it out loud at first.

"What?" Draco's voice was soft.

"I feel scared." I quietly repeated, feeling embarrassed that I was showing weakness.

Draco was silent, his eyes staring at me intensely. It was as if he had no idea how to respond, like he had never been in such a position. He moved forward, his hands slowly wrapping themselves around my shaking body. I felt his chin rest on my head as I nuzzled his chest.

"I am not used to doing this." Draco admitted after a while.

"Sorry.." A small smile formed on my lips as I finally pulled away.

Silence engulfed us once more. I observed as Draco straightened his robes, his fingers playing with the button of his shirt. His t-shirt... I had completely forgotten about it after what happened.

"Draco... what about your shirt?" My voice broke the still air around us.

"Keep it."

"But.. why?" I was confused.

"Just because." He said quietly. "I have to go. Let me walk you to your dorm."

I nodded, following Draco quietly to the entrance of the Hufflepuff house. His hands were securely tucked into the pockets of his robes, his face frozen in a serious expression. Draco glared at everyone who dared to do as much as glance at us. He really was feared around here.

"Well... Have a nice night." Draco mumbled as soon as we were in front of the entrance.

"You too." I whispered,giving him a soft smile.

He nodded his head, the serious expression never leaving his face as he began walking away from me.

"Draco." I mumbled, my hand moving to rub my neck.

He turned around, raising a brow at me.

"Thank you." I whispered.

For the first time since I had been in Hogwarts I saw the blonde boy fully smile at me. It took me by surprise and Draco knew that. I saw him turn back around with a chuckle before leaving. This man was a mess but there was something charming about him. At this point the warnings from my father were a distant voice in my head. I was falling for Malfoy dangerously fast and I wasn't sure if this was good or bad. Once I was in my room I could finally rest. One thing was for certain, I had to be careful around the school now. I had really wanted to keep a low profile but apparently the students here were not going to allow this to happen. As I moved into my bed I couldn't help but notice how empty it felt and for the first time I actually wished for me and him to be in the same house. I couldn't sleep that night. I was scared for my future here but I was mostly angry. Angry that my mother, a person who I loved with all my heart, had been completely disrespected, angry that I wasn't able to defend my family. I couldn't stop thinking of all the nasty words that could be said about my family around here. I found myself alone. Yes, I had people I could talk to but the only person who I had a somewhat meaningful conversation not relating to school so far was Malfoy. How ironic, the boy who I had to stay away from was the only one that seemed to be on my side.


	7. ~ Lonely ~

Friday meant that I had to last through Transfiguration class and then it was weekend time. A trip to Hogsmeade for the students was announced last night which made everyone beyond excited. Invitations were flying left and right all around me this morning, accompanied by chatter and plan making with a level of exhilaration higher than the Astronomy tower. If it hadn't been for my need of a new quill and ink, I wouldn't have decided to go at all. I wasn't really in the mood to look at love struck couples, excited teens and most of all, I wasn't in the mood to get stared at. This morning the looks I got were way more and the whispers were louder. It was obvious that the news of yesterday's incident was spreading fast. I got to the classroom and sat down at an empty table. As I was taking out my books and parchment paper I looked around nervously. I really didn't want to ask anyone for a quill and I was hoping that since all of my other classes were with Malfoy, he would be in this one too. Sadly, I was probably wrong. As the minutes ticked, I kept looking towards the door, hoping that he would finally come in, but he never did.

"Vanaja." I heard a voice behind me.

My body immediately tensed, remembering what had happened yesterday but I decided to turn around anyway.

"Yes?" I asked as I looked towards a boy who I recognized as Vincent Crabble.

Weird. He had never even acknowledged me before. If anything, I only knew him from hearing Malfoy yell at him over something extremely dumb that he had done.

"This was in front of my door this morning. It just says your name... so it is probably for you." He said, handing me an envelope.

"Thank you." I mumbled, giving him a small smile before turning around once again.

Indeed the luxurious looking envelope had only my name written on it in a very neat handwriting. I opened it cautiously, fearing what might be inside despite having a vague idea who it might be from. A beautiful black feathered quill was waiting inside, along with a small note.

'You will need something to write with. I hope you like crows. Beautiful birds, really. ~ M.'

A small smile came to my lips, my cheeks getting rosy as I took the quill out. The feather was soft and silky to touch, way better than my regular goose feather quills. I bit my lip as I put the note back in the envelope and stuck it in my backpack right as McGonagall entered the classroom to begin her lesson. Malfoy still wasn't here. Maybe he didn't have this class but somehow the empty seat next to Crabble made me think otherwise.

~~~

Saturday. The day of the heavily anticipated Hogsmeade trip. I forced myself to go to breakfast just to get a bite of something before the trip. My father had a good amount of fortune but I really wasn't willing to spend a lot of money on non essential things and eating out definitely counted towards those. Then again, I had made sure to get some extra cash just so that I could get sweets from Honeydukes. I couldn't miss it, especially after what I had overheard from students and what my father had told me. The gates opened, students walking in an upbeat pace around me. Happiness was radiating from their faces, in complete contrast with me. I looked like a dementor next to them, all in black and with a serious expression on my face. My black long sleeved dress, combined with my black tights and jacket were only contrasted by my yellow Doc Martens. It was quite funny how my mood was reflected by my chosen attire of the day. A massive group of students practically barged into The Three Broomsticks Inn while most of the couples opted for Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop, which honestly looked quite revolting to me. I liked romance but the outside of it screamed "cheesy" which was way too much. Bottom line, I wouldn't have liked to be taken on a date here. My eyes landed on Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop and I immediately began walking towards it. I had to get another new quill for myself, just in case and I definitely had to get Draco something in return for his kind gift. After quickly looking around I gathered two regular goose feather quills, which were good enough for my writing needs. As much as I loved Draco's gifted one, I didn't want it to get destroyed so I had planned on keeping it for my art. After all, crow feathers were notoriously famous for creating amazing fine lines. As I looked around for inks that I liked, I spotted a rainbow one. A soft humm left my lips as I decided to spoil myself and get it along with a pot of regular black one. Once my important purchases were completed I decided to look around for something to gift back to Draco. I walked around alone for a bit before hesitantly going into Gladrags Wizardwear. It was definitely under Draco's standards but it was the only place I could think of getting him something. There weren't many students in here other than a group which was gathered in the socks section. As I walked past them, trying to find anything, my eyes focused on a section in the back, filled with many tiny accessories behind a glass display. I walked closer, slowly scanning the wide range of jewellery. A beautiful serpent brooch immediately caught my attention. It looked as if it was made for Draco. The dark silver complimented the green gemstone, placed as an eye for the snake, beautifully.

"The black mamba brooch. Elegant choice." The shop clerk said from beside me. "A lot of students love looking at it but so far nobody has been able to buy it."

The arrogance in his voice made me bite the inside of the lip. I definitely had the money for it despite the steep price and it conveniently matched the price of the quill Draco had gotten me, judging by the prices I had seen in Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop. I bit my lip as a snarky remark threatened to escape my mouth. If it hadn't been the perfect gift, I would've left and never come back but I had to swallow my pride for this one. With a smile I turned to the old grumpy clerk and looked him in the eyes.

"I will buy it."

The shock in his eyes was a pleasure for me to see. His shaky hands opened the display and pulled it out before he walked back to the counter.

"Could you please package it nicely. It is for a gift and the person likes their things... elegant." I added.

"That will cost extra." The clerk said, his voice slightly shaky.

"That wouldn't be a problem."

"Twenty five galleons please."

The clerk said. The arrogance had completely disappeared and was replaced by pure surprise. With a swift movement of my hand I gave him the money, a smirk coming to my face.

"Rich family?" He questioned.

"No. Money management. Have a nice day." I said before quickly leaving the shop.

What an unpleasant experience. My last planned stop was Honeydukes. I just had to try the Pepper Imps my father kept raving about. Seeing all the sweets immediately brightened my day. I felt like a small child again while I was exploring the shop. After a few minutes the Pepper Imps were in my hands. I deliberated for a while but decided to get some for my father during the next visit, which would hopefully be before Christmas. The Pepper Imps weren't enough to satisfy my ever growing sweet tooth, which prompted me to look around the store again. In what seemed like three minutes but was actually twenty, I was finally walking towards the till. Pumpkin fizz, Pink Coconut Ice, a pack of toffee candies, some Chocolate Frogs and a few Chocoballs had joined the Pepper Imps.

"You should try the Exploding Bonbons." Draco's voice rang in my ears, making me jump a bit.

How did he get here. I hadn't seen him join in the group of students.

"Pass me a pack then." I said softly.

With a swift movement, Draco tossed a second pack up in the air before slowly placing it in my hands, careful not to make the other sweets fall.

"You have done quite some shopping." He motioned towards my other purchases.

"I just had some stuff I needed." I said, quickly paying for my purchases when my turn came.

I waited for Draco and we both left the shop.

"Are you going back?" He asked casually, motioning towards the way leading to Hogwarts when he saw me nod.

"Thank you." I said quietly before looking around to see if anyone was around. "For the quill."

"Don't worry about it. Hope you like crows." He said. "The quills do an amazing job for artwork."

"How do you know that I draw?" I questioned. Had he snooped around my room while I was changing?

"I saw you doodling in class, Vanaja." Draco shook his head, a chuckle escaping his lip.

I bit my lip when I heard him chuckle. It was something I had never imagined that this cold person would allow me to witness. We walked in silence, enjoying the autumn weather until we got to the Shrieking Shack. Draco looked at it before making his way to the other side of it and away from the path.

"Do you think its haunted?" He mumbled as we sat down on an old bench next to it.

"Honestly, I have no idea. All I have heard are stories from my father."

"It has been six years and I still wonder about it every time I pass by." His eyes were glued to the old building.

"How can it be haunted if the ghosts themselves are scared from it?" I asked curiously.

"You never know around here." Draco said, his hand moving in the Honeydukes bag to pick up a toffee.

A few students walked by, their chatter loud enough to be heard even if we couldn't see them.

"How are you after yesterday?" Draco mumbled after a while of silence.

"Good I guess. I have to suck it up and be prepared for things like that. There is no point to sulk." I shrugged. "Besides... if anyone tries to touch me even Madam Pomfrey wouldn't be of any help."

Drago shook his head, another chuckle escaping his lips. His hand gently moved onto mine, making my cheeks heat up slightly. It was surprisingly warm in comparison to my freezing ones.

"Do you have any notes from Transfiguration today?" Draco cleared his throat. "I couldn't attend and I don't really trust Crabble with those things."

"Yeah. I can give them to you whenever. She gave a nasty homework." I sighed.

"Typical."

His hand gently squeezed mine before Draco got up. I followed shortly after, trying to strengthen my dress as much as possible. When I looked up at Draco he was staring at me. For the first time I noticed the dark circles under his eyes and how pale he looked.

"Are you alright?" I asked, my hand slowly moving to his forearm.

"Yeah yeah... just haven't been sleeping much." I heard him say.

"Well... you are always welcome in my room... until they catch us that is."

"I will keep that in mind, Dalia."

The walk back to Hogwarts was silent. We kept our distance, Draco walking slightly behind me. He didn't want to be seen with a half-blood Hufflepuff outside of doing school work and I completely understood him. After all, I wasn't a fan of people seeing me with a person who had a reputation for being a bully, especially when I was trying to actually form friendships here.

"Hey, Malfoy." I said when we were finally inside the building.

His eyes shot up to mine, a serious expression on his face.

"We have a week and a half left for our project"

"I know, Vanaja. I am working on it." He rolled his eyes at me.

"We have to meet at least once before the deadline." I said, my grip on my bags tightening.

"We will" He mumbled, a small smile playing on his lips.

And with that he was gone.

~~~

Days passed, classes came and went, the deadline was in three days. Over the past week I had been trying to catch Malfoy around the entire school but it was as if he had just vanished. He wasn't next to me in Potions, Charms had passed without any disturbances, Crabble seemed lost in Transfiguration and had to ask me for help multiple times and worst of all, I had to mumble an excuse and make up a lie on the spot to Professor Snape about why my project partner wasn't in class and where he was. I was looking around the Slytherins, trying to see if they would mention anything about his absence but nobody seemed to know anything. My meals were spent with constant glancing towards their table, hoping to meet those captivating icy eyes again but his spot was empty. Where had this man gone? Maybe he had an emergency at home or maybe he was feeling ill? My free time was spent alone in my room for the most part as I desperately tried to concentrate on getting his part of the work done along with the many other homework that had accumulated. But my mind always kept wandering back to him. Maybe if I knew that he was around I wouldn't have always hid in my room, trying to avoid other confrontations. Maybe I would've been able to concentrate in classes. And maybe, just maybe I wouldn't have felt so lonely. Over the past week nobody had cared to ask me how I was, to knock on my dorm room door and have a conversation with me. Even Scarlett had been looking at me from a distance after the Gryffindors had come after me. It was obvious that they were scared of me, scared that I was going to somehow hurt them. I felt so alone and as much as it pained me to say it, Draco was the only one who made me feel like I had someone. He wasn't scared to come up to me and talk, he didn't fear being alone with me and he had never been nasty. I could never understand why he made sure to make everyone else's life here miserable but he hadn't done that to me. Maybe he knew how shit I was going to have it? The new girl and a Death Eater. What an explosive combination. Sunday morning was cold and rainy. I woke up a bit late and quickly threw on some leggings, a tight t-shirt and a dark green oversized sweater before going to get a quick breakfast. By the time I had reached the Great Hall it was empty with the exception of a few groups of students, the food on the tables almost gone. With a sigh my body slumped on my regular seat. The food left didn't look appetizing at all so I opted for just having herbal tea.

"The early bird gets the worm, Vanaja."

My eyes shot up to the blonde boy who made himself comfortable next to me. It was as if he had come out of nowhere. He placed his hands on the table, his knuckles bright red and scratched up as if he had been in a fight.

"Where have you been?" I mumbled, clearing my throat when two Hufflepuffs sat near us, a strange expression on their faces. "We have three days to the deadline and I need your part of the work."

My eyes moved from him to the doors, praying that he would get my hint. I wanted to question him, I wanted to know why he looked so tired and beat up but that wasn't possible with people around us.

"That's why I am here, Vanaja. Come on let us finish this bullshit."

We stood up and left quietly. I was mentally thanking Malfoy for being one who could take hints well. We quickly walked through the hallways, ending up in the same dusty room we had been in last Thursday.

"Are you sure you are alright? Because you surely don't look like it, Malfoy." I said, my voice hushed.

"Why do you care so much if I am alright, Vanaja?" Malfoy groaned in frustration, his hands hiding in the pockets of his suit.

"Because..." I started, my eyes looking around the room in an attempt to find an explanation.

Why did I care for him? There were so many reasons why but I couldn't bring myself to say any of them. I couldn't say that I considered him as the only close person I had here, or that I couldn't stop thinking about him every day. I wasn't going to tell him that my initial attraction was starting to transform into something more.

"Well?" Draco questioned, his eyebrow raising in anticipation.

"Because I just do, okay. I just do." I mumbled, unable to think of anything else.

"You are pathetic at hiding your emotions." Draco said, his eyes never averting their gaze away from me. "It is admirable how unbothered you try to act but... how should I put it... you are bad at it."

"Wow. Are you going to be an asshole to me now too?" I leaned against a table, my eyes moving back to him

"Tonight. My dorm room. We finish this shit. I want to submit it on Monday before everyone else. Snape likes to give bonus points to students who give their work before the deadline." He changed the topic.

"Yeah ok. I will be there after dinner." I shrugged.

Malfoy's ability to change the conversation topics so fast and to ignore certain statements by choice always left me at a loss for words. He appeared out of nowhere again, leaving me with so many questions. And instead of not giving a fuck anymore, I wanted to learn everything. Deep down inside I knew that I had to step back, to distance myself from him after the project had ended but somehow I couldn't. I couldn't stop myself from thinking about him, from wondering what he was doing when he was gone. I was ashamed of my thoughts but as I was walking back towards the Hufflepuff common room I couldn't help but feel excited about our meeting later tonight.


End file.
